For love of a friend
by IluthraDanar
Summary: In this sequel to "For want of a friend", Sylar finds his life drastically changed after the defeat of Samuel Sullivan. Now his thoughts return to a past friend and lover. Will he be the 'Hero' he wants to be? Sylar/OC. Reviews welcome for sure!
1. Chapter 1

**This is a sequel to "For want of a friend". I wanted to let it rest for a bit, but Selene had other ideas. I'm not sure how long this story will be, but I hope the readers who enjoyed the first stages of the friendship and romance between Sylar and this Special woman, will like this one too. **

**Sylar has a dream.**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend returned **

**Part 1**

Sylar lay on his bed, thinking thoughts he had not had for 4 or 5 years. His mind sifted through layers and layers of memories, until he fell asleep. Then Sylar had a dream. Sylar never dreamt. But tonight, he did, and in his dream, he saw someone he hadn't seen in a long while~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Selene woke up on a beach, a small, white-sand beach surrounded on three sides by high cliffs. In front of her lay the ocean, vast and blue. She stood, and shook the sand from her white, sleeveless dress. Feeling warm sand beneath her feet, she looked down to see that she wasn't wearing shoes. _

_She walked up to the cliff behind her. It was made of solid rock, vertical, and very much unclimbable. She wished that one of her abilities was flight. She turned to her right, and headed for the far end of the beach, where she found the rock face reaching all the way out into the water. There was no going that way. _

_Placing her hand to her forehead to shade her eyes against the sun, she scanned the area. No matter which way she turned, it seemed to continually blind her. She ran to the other end of the beach. Disappointment filled her as she saw the same as was on the other side. There seemed to be no escape from this damn beach. She looked up at the sky, and cried out, "Sylar!". Running a few feet, she spun around, the sand grating beneath her feet, as she yelled out again. "Sy-lar!" There was no sound save for the waves._

_Selene sat in the sand, grabbing a handful of the coarse crystals, and letting them filter through her fingers. She stared at the ocean, watching the waves repeatedly crash on the shoreline, only to be sucked back out to sea. The one way out of this trap apparently was that way, the ocean. But she had no boat, and no way to even build one. _

_She had an idea. Maybe it was crazy, maybe it was deadly, but it was all she had. Selene pulled the dress over her head, and walked toward the waterline. She felt the waves swirl around her feet, as she headed out into deeper water. When it had reached her waist, she started to swim. She swan further out, fighting the waves and the currents, until at last she was able to turn and see what she had swum from. It didn't even appear to be an island. There were just the cliffs and the beach._

_She continued swimming, further and further out, until she could barely see the beach any longer. Her abilities seemed to have left her, and she felt herself tiring. Selene tried floating on her back to rest her arms, but the waves were getting rougher. Her arms began to ache, her legs to tire. She had not felt such pain, since before Sylar had taken that feeling away. Now the pain bit at her body. She swam as far as she could, until the current began to drag at her feet. It pulled her under several times. Selene fought it, physically and mentally. She railed at the ocean, her anger giving her additional strength. But it wasn't enough. Selene felt herself being pulled beneath the waves, deeper and deeper, until the light was all but gone. Fear finally left her, as she let her body fall into the depths, and darkness enveloped her. _

_No! By all that was sacred to her, Selene was not going to let go of life without a fight. She was immortal. With what little power she had left, she summoned the energy to swim back to the surface. Her feet kicked hard, as her hands grabbed at the water. Soon, light was visible, shimmering through the moving water, and she aimed straight for it. With one last, powerful kick, Selene broke through the surface._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sylar awoke, sweat beaded on his forehead. He sat upright in bed, and ran his hands through his dampened hair. He was surprised that after all this time, Selene had invaded his mind. He hadn't forgotten her, but so much had distracted him the last year or so, what with his angry rampage against, well, ...everyone. Then there was his mind being separated from his body, the arrival of the carnival and the subsequent life he had experienced there. Eventually his partnership with Peter Petrelli, of all people, resulted in the two preventing the carnival leader, Samuel Sullivan, from bringing down destruction on the people of New York City.

Sylar was just beginning to understand how unsatisfactory his life had been when his only desire was to steal abilities from unsuspecting Specials. Using his abilities to do something positive had felt good. When Claire had tried to expose the existence of their kind, all hell broke loose for awhile, before many of the Evolved people had gone "underground". Some had gone for help from Noah Bennet. Others simply disappeared. The carnival folk had done that, with Edgar leading them to a safe haven.

Sylar had gone back to New York City, and reopened his watch repair shop. He and Peter talked often, both trying to understand their new relationship, one Sylar didn't care to lose just yet. Peter hadn't quite forgiven Sylar for killing Nathan, but the anger was less of an obstacle to any attempt of theirs to be friendly. In fact, Peter understood Sylar better than anyone now, and was helpful to his former and most bitter enemy.

So much had changed in his life. Yet the one thing he missed had now resurfaced. _It was just a dream_, he told himself. Sylar lay back on the bed, pressing his palms against his forehead. It was only in his mind. Or was it? He still had the mental power to sense thoughts. But Selene was dead. She had no thoughts. Dead brains can't think.


	2. Chapter 2

**After living through the carnival melee, and Claire's public stunt, **

**Sylar vows to begin a new life, by returning to his old one. **

**But his past is not going to leave him alone, completely.**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 2**

Gabriel sat in his shop, working on an antique timepiece he'd found at an auction. It would have been valuable had it been working, but since it wasn't, he'd gotten it for very cheap. Fixing it wouldn't be difficult at all. Then it would, again, be valuable.

He'd removed the back, and found that the works inside were covered in a dried greasy film, and several of the gears were broken. He placed some parts in a cleaning solution, while he found the correct gears to replace the worn ones. They had to be from exact duplicate timepieces in order for the value to stay high. It wouldn't do for any modern parts to be used.

Gabriel sat back, content that he'd be able to get the beautiful antique back to working order. It had been almost half a year since he had returned to the shop. He'd taken some of Selene's money, and bought the place back from an elderly gentleman, whose eyes lit up the minute Gabriel had shown him his offer, in cash. Apparently, retirement looked better than his business.

Gabriel fixed the place up, making it as modern as possible. Surprisingly, he felt at ease returning to his former work. And just as surprisingly, he found that he had not been bothered in any way by the hunger. Peter told him that perhaps his experiences of the past year had somehow tamped down the urges that plagued him when he was Sylar. Having his mind ripped from his body. Nathan's memories replacing his own. Being inside Matt Parkman's head. Living as husband and father, and having people actually care about him, especially the ones who didn't know the truth, such as Peter, Claire and Janice.

When he had remembered being told by Hiro Nakamura years earlier that his life, the one he thought would last forever, would come to an end, and that he would be mourned by noone, it made him realize how futile his existence was. He had been consumed by the desire to have power, but didn't really know what to do with it, except kill. That wasn't enough for him anymore. Even though Samuel was obviously insane, as insane as he himself had seemed, Sylar had known that what Samuel told him was true. Sylar now wanted to belong more. To have someone love him. To be wanted and not feared. It felt good when he'd helped Peter and Noah defeat Samuel. When he'd won over Doyle's own ability, he found himself not wanting to kill the confused and frightened man, but rather, had made a gift of the puppet master to Peter.

Once everything had settled from the near disaster of Claire's little exhibition on the Ferris Wheel, Sylar had gone back to his old life, again going by his given name, Gabriel Gray. The only thing that had truly surprised Sylar was Noah Bennet. With so many Specials needing assistance to go into hiding by creating new lives, Noah had offered Sylar a job with him. He had needed some persuasion by Peter, who convinced Noah that without Sylar's help, thousands of people would have died that night at the carnival, and Samuel might have managed to destroy a good portion of New York City.

Years ago, Sylar had told Chandra Suresh his true goal for his existence. When his innate ability had enabled him to take the ability of another, and telekinesis had proven to be his most valuable power, he'd told Dr Suresh, "Well, I'm different now. I feel I've been given a chance to start over. A new life, new identity. New purpose." Things had now come full circle. Back then, Gabriel had become Sylar. Now Sylar was again Gabriel. This time he wouldn't make the mistake of letting his powers overwhelm him. It had been suggested by others who hated and feared Sylar, that his many powers were causing him to go mad. He proved them wrong. The hunger he himself had feared for so long was gone, or so sublimated into his psyche, that he no longer feared its awakening.

So until he was called by Noah, Gabriel worked in his shop, laying low and enjoying life as he had been unable to for years. He would often meet with Peter, who had managed to accept him, if not totally forgiven him for his brother's murder. There was only one missing piece. And he had only remembered that from the dream he'd had a few weeks ago. Why had he dreamed about Selene? She'd been dead for so many months now.

Gabriel slid his magnification eyepiece down so that he could better see the intricate workings of this magnificent timepiece. He replaced the damaged gears, and put back the now clean parts. As he was getting ready to close the back, he heard the front door open. Without looking up, he said, "I'll be done in a moment, if you want to look around."

"That's ok. I can wait," came a very familiar voice.

Gabriel stopped working. He removed the magnifier, and looked up at his customer. A slender woman, dressed in jeans, a white tee and navy blue jacket, stood near the door. Her long, black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. She removed her sunglasses, revealing impossibly turquoise eyes. "Hello, Sylar," she remarked with a smile.

Gabriel stood slowly, leaving the magnifier on the work desk. He walked around his work area, and went to the woman who was obviously waiting for some response. Gabriel strode to her, his hands reaching for her tentatively, as is he feared she would vanish like some dream phantom. He placed them on her shoulders, then lightly ran his hands down her arms, finally gripping her hands. "Selene? Is it really you?"

She nodded, whispered, "I've come back."

Gabriel stared into the turquoise eyes, which were shining with unshed tears. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, now warm. The last time he had touched her, death had cooled her torn and broken body. Bending to her, he pressed his lips against hers. Gabriel felt her mouth open to him, and suddenly, he was in the past. Selene was back, and the familiarity of it made his heart soar. His body reacted to the feel of her arms as they enclosed him within their embrace. She formed her body to his, pressing herself against him. When, at last, he pulled back from her, he noticed the pink in her cheeks and her rapid breathing. Her desire for him was as strong as the desire he felt coursing through him. But this wasn't the place to consummate that desire.

"Selene, how did you...?"

"Not now, Sylar." She threw her arms around him and hugged him close. "I'll tell you everything, soon," she said into his ear. She closed her eyes, and just let herself feel the warmth of his body, as she inhaled his familiar fragrance. His thoughts and emotions washed over her. Suddenly, Selene's eyes flew open, as she pulled away from him. "Gabriel?" she asked, puzzled.

Selene had heard his thoughts correcting her error. Gabriel knew she would have had no way of knowing he had adopted his true name once more. She knew now. "A lot has happened since you...died, Selene. There've been changes...to me, my life. I'm not the same man." Gabriel noticed Selene tilting her head while listening to him, as if she were doing more, like reading his mind. He didn't care, if it made it easier for her to understand what he was trying to tell her. "I've missed you. But there were times when I couldn't think of you. If you'd been here, maybe things might have been different. I did stuff, horrible things to hurt people."

Selene didn't move. She only looked at him, not without some suspicion. "Despite everything, I love Sylar. I don't even know Gabriel."

"Selene, let's go to my place. It's just down the street. I'll close the shop, and we can talk."

Selene reached up, pulled Gabriel's head down and kissed him. "I want to do more than just...talk, Sylar." She walked to the door, and waited for him.

Gabriel turned off the shop lights, and after turning the 'open' sign to 'closed', followed Selene out to the sidewalk. Tentatively, he placed his arm around her, and was pleased when she wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked.

Upon reaching his second story apartment, Gabriel unlocked the door, and let Selene enter before him. He switched on a light, and closed the door.

Selene looked around at the small living room. It seemed small to her, because she was used to more spacious and luxurious accommodations. So this is what Sylar had become. A man who owned a nondescript business, and lived in a small city apartment. The only thing she could tell that was different was he still looked like Sylar, and not the mousey man he'd been so many years ago. She knew that from their discussions when he told her about his past life, before he'd become aware of his innate ability.

As she wandered from room to room, looking things over, Gabriel sensed her disapproval. "It's not all that bad, Selene. Its comfortable, and not as small as my old place. I told you, my life has changed. I don't ever want to be that person I was before." When she stopped to look out the dining room window, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. He turned his head, and burying his face in her neck, inhaled the familiar mixture of her own scent and the favourite perfume she used. "I'm glad you're alive, Selene. I dreamt about you, and I didn't know why. It's as if I...sensed...you were back."

His breath tickled her ear. She turned in his arms, and reached up to touch his face. "I want to know everything that's happened since we parted, everything."

Gabriel didn't feel like telling her anything just yet. He pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. He remembered how much she loved it when he did that. He had forgotten nothing of their time together. He trailed his lips from her neck to her mouth, and forcing his tongue in, tasted her. His body recalled the passion of their lovemaking. He picked her up in his arms, smiling when she cried out in surprise. Carrying her into his bedroom, Gabriel lay her on his bed, and looking down at her, slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

Selene watched as he stripped for her. She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips as her impatience was being tested. He knew what effect he was having on her as he smiled, his eyes dark with desire, almost reminding her of the man she had left behind a year and a half ago. Maybe his being 'Gabriel' wouldn't be so bad. After all, hadn't they sought change for Sylar that would free him from himself? Without her help, he seemed to have succeeded where together they had failed.

"It won't be bad, Selene, I promise," he said, sitting beside her on the bed. He removed her jacket, then her tee. She wore no bra to impede him from touching her breasts. He let her eyes roam his naked body, as he continued to remove her clothing.

When both were naked, Gabriel lay next to Selene, his hands already setting her on fire. It had been too long for both, and death had not diminished the love she felt for Sylar. Whether he went by that name or some other, she hoped he was still the man she had died for.

She stopped him with a firm hand on his chest. "I know Sylar loved me. Does Gabriel?"

Sensing her trepidation as the reason for her question, Gabriel whispered, "Yes, I love you. I think I always will," he said with a smile and a cock of one eyebrow. Then he began to make love to Selene as he had done so in the past, with intuitive knowledge of what pleased her. Even though it had been 18 long months since they'd been together, it felt like an eternity, and both wanted to make up for lost time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Gabriel finally feels he has everything in life he wants. But something isn't quite right. Selene wants to meet up with Noah, and Gabriel wants to know, why.**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 3**

Selene was on her side facing Gabriel, teasing his chest hair with manicured fingernails. He lay back on the bed, one arm behind his head, just staring at the ceiling. But the smile on his face betrayed his thoughts. They'd made love for hours, making up for the time they were apart. He turned his head to look at the woman beside him.

"Ready to tell me what happened?" he asked, moving one hand to play with her tousled ebony locks.

Selene turned on her back. Her hands clasped one another over her belly. She sighed when she felt Gabriel's warm hand squeeze both hers. He had turned on his side now, one arm supporting his head on his elbow. She smiled at him, reassured by his intent look.

"I woke up. I didn't know where I was, but I knew I had to get out."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Selene opened her eyes, expecting to see bright light. Instead, there was only darkness. Was she still blind? Her hands reached out to her side and felt only cold metal. Where was she? She felt a low ceiling above her, and knew she would not be able to sit up. Selene wiggled her bottom down the enclosure, until her feet hit a wall. Not sure what would happen, she reached out a hand to summon her telekinetic power, unsure if she even had it back. She mentally pressed hard against the wall. It promptly blew out. Satisfaction and curiosity compelled her to inch her way down the narrow tube that imprisoned her. As she crawled out from the now open portal, she saw dim light. Her feet flailed when they hit open air. Selene dropped to the floor, crouching until she got her bearings. When she stood, she saw where she had been locked up. It was very much like a morgue. Empty metal tables, the wall of drawers, her own now open. How long had she been here? Had she been cut open? She noticed no scars, but there wouldn't be any, now that she had her regenerative powers back. They must have brought her here after Sylar had left that night, and locked her away. She felt no anger at him, since she had all but ordered him to leave her. Where was he now? She had to find him._

_Selene grabbed a white coat hanging on a rack, probably belonging to a lab technician's, and wrapped herself in it. She padded to the door on bare feet, opened it slowly and peeked out. No one was around. Before leaving the room, she tested her powers. Extending both hands, she summoned the electricity, and smiled as blue energy arced from her palms. _

_Selene entered the corridor, and headed left, figuring one way or the other would lead to an exit. She passed offices that were unmanned. No one sat at the desks. None of the phones rang. The computers sat dark and unused. She finally reached what she thought might be a control center. Perusing the desks, she noticed files with names and photos of people. She picked up one of them, only to find it covered in dust. This place had been abandoned for awhile. Obviously, she had been forgotten by those who ran the place._

_Following the corridor again, Selene finally came upon a door, and stepped out into the sunlight. All she had to do was find a change of clothing, and a connection for assignments so that she could earn some quick money. Once she had what she needed to replace what she'd lost, she would find Sylar. It was a big world, but as soon as she could, she would get a job with the CIA, FBI or some other covert unit, and use their computers to search for him. Noah Bennet had managed to get rid of her, but now she was back. She hoped that, together, she and Sylar would make him regret his actions.~~~~~~~~~_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I had my eyesight back, my leg too," Selene said, kicking back the covers to show him a shapely leg.

"And you managed to get what you needed?" Gabriel asked, impressed that Selene had gone through so much, and was still able to survive.

She rolled onto her side. "Yes, with a bit of mental persuasion, of course. I met a contact, and took two assignments with the CIA. It paid me enough to get clothes, a car and a nice suite at the Carlton Hotel. I used the CIA international database to search for you. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you were back in New York City."

Selene closed her eyes, a slight smile on her lips. Without warning, she felt fingers tracing her face and jawline. Her smile broadened. "You have such a gentle touch," she said, eyes still closed.

"For a killer?"

"Someone who _used_ to kill." Selene opened her eyes and looked at Gabriel. "You got what you wanted, Gabriel. You've defeated the hunger, and you fix watches..."

"Repair timepieces," Gabriel interrupted.

"Ok, repair timepieces. Are you content doing that? Are you happy?"

"Isn't that the same thing?" he asked, confused.

"No, it's not," Selene replied, sitting up. "You always wanted to be special. Look at you now. You work in your shop, and when Noah Bennet needs you, you go to him. There is so much more you could be doing, Gabriel!"

Gabriel sat up, feeling indignation at Selene, whom he felt was judging him. "I'm not going to do anything that might bring that person back. I will not be Sylar anymore, Selene. Even Noah knows my limitations now." He threw back the covers, got out of the bed, and went into the bathroom, where he started the water in the shower.

Selene followed him to the bathroom, saying, "Do you know what it's like to be dead, and come back to life in darkness, with nothing but cold metal beneath you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," he said with a smirk.

Selene reached in the tub, turning off the water. She grabbed Gabriel's arm and pulled him back to the bed. "Sit, please. I want you to tell me what happened to you since the last time we were together." She took a place beside him on the bed, tucked her legs beneath her, and waited.

Gabriel took a deep breath, and proceeded to start at the beginning. If Selene wanted to know what had happened to him, he was going to tell her all of it. "After you had been killed, I returned to Washington, with the idea of telling Danko I wasn't working for him anymore. I had plans to take revenge on everyone who had ever crossed me, and those that were responsible for your death were top on my list. I had come up with the crazy idea that, using my shape shifting ability, I would pretend to be the President, and take over the country."

Selene looked shocked at this admission.

Her expression compelled Gabriel to make his own admission. "I think I was insane at that point. All I wanted was revenge, whether it meant taking out some people, or everyone. I was only Sylar, killer and madman. I was losing myself, Selene."

She took his hand in both of hers, entwining her fingers with his as he spoke.

"It was Nathan whose place I took first. No one knew. But when he, Peter and Claire banded together to try and stop me, I killed Nathan."

Selene released Gabriel's hand. She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Wait! You...killed Nathan? And what about the others, Noah and Peter? You didn't try to..."

"I didn't get around to them, before I was tricked."

As she browsed his surface thoughts, she said, "But you spared Peter and Claire for my sake."

"Yes. I left them alive. Later, I regretted that, since it was Peter who tricked me, and kept me from taking the President's form. I was unconscious and at their mercy. Matt Parkman stripped my body of my own mind, and replaced it with his impression of Nathan's thoughts and memories."

Selene looked to see if any of this reminiscing was making Gabriel angry, but he was quite relaxed, and his words held no bitterness or contempt. "So you were now Nathan."

"Yes, with no memory except that of politician, family man and friend. Even though it wasn't me exactly, I think living that lie actually did me some good. I was living a life I never had before. Anyway, something happened, I don't remember what. I woke up without any body. I was inside Parkman's head. That was...interesting," he said wryly. "I admit I took great pleasure in messing with his mind. He had caused my current situation, and I wanted payback. In time, I completely exchanged places with him. He was in my mind while I lived his life. And again, I found myself a family man, and working with people who cared about me. But I had killed, Selene. I think the rage in me replaced the hunger. I had power, and I was going to use it."

Gabriel continued his story, Selene listening raptly as she sat crossed legged on the bed. It took into the early morning hours. He told her about his finally rejoining his body, right in the middle of the Petrelli Thanksgiving meal. He kept nothing from her, as he explained trying to kill Angela, Peter catching him and torturing him, which lead to the final release of Nathan's hold on his mind. Going to the carnival and his discovery that he could not kill anymore. The way his thoughts wavered between wanting revenge and wanting a new life. He hadn't wanted the prediction of that little Japanese man he'd met years back to come true. (A/N: Sylar didn't know that Hiro had changed the timeline slightly by telling him that bit. To him, it was always a part of his past.)

There was one thing that Gabriel did not reveal. His interactions with Lydia. He didn't think Selene would understand the relationship he'd had with the woman. He himself didn't fully understand, as it wasn't really him, who'd lived with the carnival woman. The fact he'd taken her ability and was given the tattoo of Claire had led him on his quest for a new existence. But how to tell Selene that without revealing everything was his concern.

"What was it exactly, that made you want a change?" she asked.

"I had paid Claire a visit at her college," he responded, sidestepping the sticky information. "She knew I had killed Nathan by this time, and was furious with me, understandably. But we talked..."

Selene interrupted him. "You tricked her," she said with a slight smile.

Gabriel closed his mind tighter. "Later I did, but it was the only way I could get her to open up to me. We'd come to an understanding, or I like to think so. After what I did to her..."

"What you did to her?" Selene delved deeply into his mind, although he was making it difficult for her. "You mentally tortured her," Selene said, angry for Claire, since she knew the girl, and considered her a friend. "It was just a game to you." He face showed her obvious disapproval of the then Sylar's behavior. How much he had changed was more apparent than before.

"Are you telling me in the same situation, you wouldn't have wanted revenge?" Gabriel said defensively.

"I would have taken my revenge and been done with it. You played with her as if she were a toy for your amusement. No wonder she was so angry at you. Who knows what else you would have done, if Peter hadn't gotten to you first."

Again, feeling he was being judged, Gabriel said somewhat aggravated, "Selene, with my past, no one out there trusted me. I had people who would have been happy to see me dead. As it turned out, Matt Parkman was my only hope, and he tricked me too." Gabriel told Selene about his sojourn in the city created by Parkman's mind, or was it his own? He told her how he'd found Peter Petrelli wandering around the completely empty city, wanting his, Sylar's, help. She listened, her brows furrowed, as he explained their confrontations in that world. How it had felt like years, not hours. And how both had come to understand and accept each other in a way neither could have foreseen.

"So you and Peter became friends from this incident." Selene was actually happy that he and Gabriel had become close. It was what she had wanted when she'd met him, although Peter had not proven steadfast in his promise to help them. She should have known he would never have put Sylar ahead of Nathan.

"Yes, I saved his girlfriend's life. And everyone she would have been responsible for killing."

Gabriel went on about the events at the carnival, its move to New York, and Samuel. Claire's jump and the news media that captured it on film was the place where change hit everyone. There was a subsequent mess that nearly started a riot in the city. That was when Noah had asked for his help regarding the Evolveds. "So here I am, working in my shop, and trying to make up for all my past wrongs. Can you understand?"

She looked down at her clasped hands. "Do you feel different?"

"I feel...good. I'm not what I was, and I have the hope of a better future than the one I was heading for."

"No cops? No warrants for the crimes you committed?"

Gabriel flushed a bit. "It was...taken care of."

Selene smiled broadly. "Allies, no doubt. Bennet, the Petrellis. The best kind to have." She stood, her arms wrapped around her. She paced a bit, before Gabriel spoke up.

"Selene, I didn't want to be alone anymore."

Walking over to him, she sat down in front of him on the bed, tucking one leg beneath her. She rested her hands on his legs. "Gabriel, you don't have to worry about being alone, ever again. Not as long as I'm here. So, you and Peter have stayed friends?"

"In a way, yes. I'm still learning from him. He's been very patient with me."

"I don't blame him really, Gabriel. Claire has a strong personality. She would go against both her fathers, if she felt it was the right thing to do. Peter, as much as he wanted to help, well, he could never put you ahead of Nathan. Now that Nathan is gone, by what you've told me, he's grown stronger. And Noah...?"

"He still hates me. He just doesn't show it. I don't know if he will ever forgive me for what I did to Claire. It doesn't keep us from working together though."

Selene stared off into space as she said, "I'd like to pay him a visit."

Gabriel felt fear, wondering just why she wanted to see the man who had killed her, and then had left her behind when Building 26 was abandoned.

Sensing that fear, Selene promised him, "I won't kill him. I just want to talk to him. Let him know I'm alive and well." Her smile was not a pleasant one. "I know you work with him, Gabriel, but I don't. And I never will."

"Selene, please don't do this. You're letting your anger put you into a dangerous situation." Gabriel was almost begging her not to go.

"More dangerous than before? He's already killed me once." She asked Gabriel point blank, " Is he still in Washington?"

Gabriel mulled over whether to tell her or not. Finally he decided to answer her. "Yes, he has new offices there."

"One without a morgue, I trust." Rising, she walked to the living room, and grabbing her cell phone from her purse, called the concierge at her hotel. Turning to Gabriel, she asked, "Want to come along?"

He thought he may as well, so that he could keep an eye on Selene. The difference in her behavior was obvious to him, knowing what it was like to feel anger, frustration and the desire to murder. He had to prevent her from doing anything that would push Noah against a wall, and give him no choice in how he dealt with her. He himself had been in that position, and he didn't want to see Selene there. "Sure," was all he said.

**A/N: if you read part 1, I wanted the beach in Gabriel's dream to be similar to Selene's "prison". The cliff walls were the walls of the drawer, the ocean was the door. She had only one way to get out. Ok, if you didn't get that, it's ok. Next time. ;-) Also I'm going on vacation so another chapter will be at least a week off. Now if my train would just get here......**


	4. Chapter 4

**Selene goes to visit an old friend, **

**and begins showing the stresses dying and coming back to life can have on a person.**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 4**

Gabriel packed a few things, and went with Selene to her hotel. He marveled at how easily she fit into the elegant surroundings, even dressed in jeans and a tee. Maybe it was her confidence and charm, which was apparent to all who came into contact with her. They seemed to acquiesce to her every whim, and he was almost 100% sure she wasn't using mental persuasion.

When they arrived at her suite, Selene said, "I'll just be a few minutes. I'm traveling light these days." She turned to look at him as he sat on the bed. "I wasn't really sure how long I'd be here." She pulled a large suitcase from the closet, and started tossing in everything from her drawers.

"Is it that important that we see Noah? Why not visit Claire first? She'd love to see you, Selene. It's been awhile, and last she knew, you were dead."

She ceased her running around to stand in front of Gabriel, looking down at him, her hands on her hips. "Is there some reason you don't want me to see Noah?"

"It's not that." He stood, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'm afraid of what you might do."

She protested, "I'm not going to do anything to Noah, Gab....."

"Selene, I know you. You can be generous and kind. But there's a dark side to you. I wouldn't put it past you to maybe punish him a little?" His hands massaged her shoulders as he spoke.

"A year ago, you might have had the same idea. What's happened to you?" She delved into his mind, but found only Gabriel, who was guileless, honest and sincere in his statements.

"I thought this was what we wanted. Everything we went through, Selene, was for this, wasn't it?" he reiterated, questioning her doubts about him.

"I wanted freedom for you. Freedom to live in peace, and not be feared by everyone. But I wanted you to remain Sylar," she said, shrugging off his hands. "When I woke up, all I could think about was getting back to you. It was the ONLY thing. Now if you don't want me because you've...changed, tell me now."

He wrapped his arms around her, saying, "I do want you, Selene. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. But I have changed. And if you can't accept that, if it makes me less than the man you fell in love with, I'm sorry. I can't be 'Sylar' anymore. I'm Gabriel now."

Selene remembered back to the time before her death, and her feelings for Sylar, her willingness to die for him. She looked into his warm, brown eyes, sighed, and slid her arms around his waist. She lay her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat rhythmically. She raised her head to look once more into his eyes, saying, "I once said I didn't care what you called yourself. Sylar, Gabriel, Bozo the clown. It's not the name that matters, it's the man inside. I can't say that I won't miss 'Sylar', but I'll give loving 'Gabriel' a chance."

Gabriel tightened his arms around Selene in turn. He smiled down at her, before bending to kiss her. They held each other briefly, before he pulled back and said, "Let's go see Noah."

* * *

The flight went smoothly. Gabriel recalled the last time he'd flown, with his anger and desire for revenge making all those around him miserable. So much had happened between that time and now. As Selene stared out the window at the clouds and the Earth below, Gabriel grasped the hand that was holding the armrest a little too tightly. She turned to him and smiled absently. He was worried about her. If he hadn't been Sylar, he might not have understood her behavior. But he did know what she was going through, what she was feeling. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the palm. All he got for his effort was a sigh. He lay his head against his seat, wondering what he would be willing to do if she blew up at Noah Bennet.

* * *

Gabriel and Selene checked into a typically luxurious, for her anyway, hotel near the building he had told her Bennet now worked. Once settled, Selene asked Gabriel if he could get them into the building. He had the proper ID, but he'd never tried to use it when he wasn't on assignment. He was also loathe to call Noah, fearing the man would get security involved should even a whiff of Selene's presence reach him.

"Why don't you make a diversion so I can sneak in. No reason for Noah to know ahead of time that I'm here," Selene suggested.

"Diversion, Selene? This isn't one of your missions, you know. We'll just go on in. I'll show my ID, and ask to see him. You might do well to say nothing. I'll do the talking if anyone asks questions."

Selene gave Gabriel a dark look. She didn't like being given orders, even they were from the man she loved. They'd been partners. She was no one's subordinate. But she decided to let him lead the way, to make things easier.....on the security guards. She stood back, and waited for Gabriel to get them into Noah's inner sanctum.

When they entered the building, one guard immediately greeted Gabriel with a smile. "Hi, Mr Gray! I didn't know you were working today. Mr Bennet usually lets us know when you're due in."

"Well, Carl, I thought I'd see him about an important case we're following. Haven't exactly set up any surveillance yet. I need to throw some things past him first." He proceeded to sign in on a clipboard the guard had handed him.

The guard looked at Selene, who instantly placed a thought into his head that she was someone he knew from past days. "It's been a long time, Carl," she said, grinning broadly, and using the name Gabriel had revealed to her. "How have you been?"

"Just fine, Ms Everett. Will you be rejoining the Company?"

"I just might be, Carl. Depends on what I'm offered," she said with a wink. The guard laughed at her small joke, knowing agents for the Company made pretty good money, although how much exactly, he had no idea. She accepted the badge he handed her, indicating she was a visitor, and waving at him, followed Gabriel to the elevators. "It's so much more open," she whispered to him. "No more hidden floors? And not like, what did you call it, Building 26?"

"I wouldn't say that exactly. It's just that the secret places aren't holding Specials anymore. He's actually helping our kind, Selene."

Gabriel sounded almost as if he admired Bennet. Selene couldn't believe what she was hearing, both aloud, and silently, inside his mind. Things had changed.....a lot! It made her angry, but she didn't know why. Gabriel seemed to have found a happy medium between being an uncontrollable killer and his past life. Yet, she was not happy for him. Why couldn't she just be happy?

Selene followed Gabriel until he came to a closed door. She quickly insinuated herself between him and the door, placing her hand on his chest. "No, don't come in with me."

"What? Selene...."

"I want to see him alone first, Gabriel. Don't follow me." To placate him, she added, smiling, "Not yet." She turned, and opened the door with the flick of a finger. She stepped into the room quietly, shutting the door behind her.

The man sitting at the desk didn't notice her at first. She walked to the center of the room, stopping when he finally did notice her. Noah Bennet slowly stood, hiding his shock at seeing the figure who was standing before him. "Selene."

"It pleases me that you remember, Noah, considering."

"But how...?" he asked, confused.

"How did I survive? I guess your toy didn't have the desired affect after all. It may have taken me longer to regenerate than it did Sylar, considerably longer, but I did." She noticed his hand seeking something, and took a step forward. "I'm not going to hurt you, Noah. I just came to talk. In fact, Gabriel's outside your door. I asked him to wait a moment." She placed her purse on a chair, and walked around the office, checking out the books and other items sitting on the shelves. "He told me he killed Nathan. I can't say that I'm entirely sorry. But I'm sure it was difficult for Claire." She stopped in front of his desk, leaned her hands on the top, and looked up into his face. "She always was closer to you though. If things had been different, she might have ended up mourning both her fathers. But, as usual, you were one step ahead of Sylar."

"Selene, I am sorry that you were killed. You were never our intended target. As for leaving you, it wasn't me. Danko was in charge of Building 26's captives."

"It's ok, Noah," Selene said, interrupting his blame-fest. She didn't really care who had left her in her death box. But it would have been nice if he had taken some responsibility for what had happened to her prior. "It's been too long to hold grudges, don't you think? Look at how easily Sylar, I mean Gabriel, took to working with you again. He told me you're actually helping the Evolveds now. That _**he's **_become some sort of do-gooder, and without any help from me. I guess I have you and Peter to thank for that. He's even gone back to his old name and job."

Noah watched Selene closely. She wasn't quite the same personality he'd known before. And he knew that this made her dangerous.

"I know what we wanted at one time, Noah, but you and Peter took it beyond that. Too far, in my book." As fast as Bennet moved his hand, she moved faster. She reached out, taking his stunner from him, and in seconds, melted the metal before tossing it to the floor. She reached out at him, fingers extended, before finding her wrist held in an iron grasp. She exhaled, smiled, and turned her head to see Gabriel standing behind her. Flexing all her fingers, she told him, "You can let me go now." Without question, he released her, and she turned back to the stunned man behind the desk, saying, "I'm sorry, Noah. I lost my temper. Waking from the dead can have that affect on you. Finding the person you love, changed, can have that affect on you."

Gabriel had come into the office when he sensed her anger flaring. She was unpredictable, as he had been when he was Sylar. As soon as she picked up her purse, and headed for the door, only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Noah, I'll be going now. I just wanted you to know I'm fine...again. I hope you don't mind if I drop in on Claire. It'll be wonderful to see her again. Good bye." She then exited the office, and headed for the elevator.

Gabriel watched Selene closely, nodding at Bennet after catching his eye. He was letting the man know he would make sure no harm came to Claire, not that he believed Selene would ever hurt the girl.

As soon as she and Gabriel had left, Noah picked up the phone and called his daughter. He also didn't think Selene was a threat to Claire, but he wanted to warn her that Gabriel was on his way. She amazingly hadn't held any grudge against him after the carnival and media happenings, but she was always on tenterhooks, wondering if someday he would turn back into Sylar, and come after her again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Selene goes to visit an old friend. She realizes how far Gabriel has come in terms of his past relationships.**

**I do not own Heroes. If I did, it'd still be on TV.**

**For love of a friend Part 5**

"Fly! You can fly? Why didn't you tell me?" Selene's eyes widened in surprise.

Almost embarrassed, Gabriel replied, "Because I took the ability from Nathan."

Selene understood his reluctance to tell her. "And then you killed him. You didn't kill him taking his ability though. Empathically?"

Gabriel nodded, never taking his eyes from hers.

She entered his mind, witnessing from his memories, the moment of Nathan's death. It was brutal, and without remorse. He had even joked about it as the man bled out. Selene slowly nodded, as she sensed his sorrow over the deed now. Sorrow more for how much he had hurt Claire. "Take me up there. You can do that?"

Again, he nodded. He waited as Selene stood in front of him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed his around her body, holding her tightly to him. They were so close, he could smell her scent. He wanted to take her then and there, but now was not the time, nor was it very feasible in their current positions.

"A handy ability, don't you think? I almost envy you being able to steal abilities from others."

"I don't do that anymore," Gabriel whispered, staring into her turquoise eyes.

"I get that. I only meant....I wish I could fly," she said, remembering her dream of being on the island, with no way to leave it. She lay her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

Gabriel noted a slight shiver run through her. "Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine." She pulled back, and looked up into his sympathetic face. "Will you take us to see Claire? We can leave our things at the hotel, and fly there. You do know where she's going to school, right?"

"Yes, of course. And I'm sure Noah has already called to warn her of our arrival." He kissed her, and then lifted off the ground, heading straight up into the sky. Once they reached the desired height, he hovered in the air, letting Selene look around. Her smile told him she was enjoying the view, if not the actual act of flying. But he sensed she was enjoying that too.

Gabriel whispered into Selene's ear, "Hang on", before jetting off in the direction of Claire's college.

Once they had arrived at the college campus, Gabriel brought them down gently into a grove of trees, sheltered from any witnesses to their arrival. He released Selene from his arms, and reached up to smooth her hair from her face.

She laughed as she pulled off the hair tie. "It's pretty windy up there without a plane wrapped around you." She ran her finger through her windblown locks, and reset the tie so that her ponytail was back to rights. She ran her fingers through his after, pushing a loose few strands behind his ears. One hand lingered on his cheek as she looked into his eyes. Her heart felt so full of love for this man. She sensed his feelings for her when he smiled at her. She smoothed her clothing and asked, "So, where do we go now?"

"This way." He took her hand, and led her to one of the buildings. They walked up some stairs, and after going down a long hall, finally stopped in front of a closed door. He raised his free hand and knocked. Both sensed Claire's presence inside, as she came to the door and opened it.

"Selene!" she cried, hugging the woman.

Selene returned the hug, smiling up at Gabriel. She pulled back, her hands resting on Claire's shoulders. "My goodness, it seems like forever. You've become quite the young woman."

"Well, don't just stand there. Come in. Selene, it's so good to see you. Dad called, and let me know you guys were coming. I...I didn't believe it when he told me. I mean, you're alive."

"Whatever happened to Gabriel, happened to me, only more slowly. I woke up, alive, whole and very much alone. But I later found Gabriel, and well, here I am. Look, is there a restaurant around here, where we can grab a bite and talk? We have so much to catch up on."

Claire suggested a small place across the street from campus, and the trio walked over to discuss what they'd missed the last couple of years.

"How do you like school, Claire?" Selene asked. "I heard there was some trouble..."

"My fault," Claire interjected. "Dad warned me, but I wouldn't listen. I nearly messed up things for everyone."

"You're being too hard on yourself, Claire. Things could have gone another way, and you would have been the spearhead for it all." Gabriel smiled at her as he said this, looking wholly sincere.

Selene watched the two, noticing the unspoken tie between them. Obviously, they had made their peace in the time she was dead. For this, she was glad. "I think everything is ok now. People will forget as long as we all lay low." Trying to divert the conversation, Selene asked Claire, "Are you seeing anyone?" Surely, someone so pretty and talented as Claire would have a boyfriend by now.

"Gabriel didn't tell you? I was, but we went out separate ways."

Selene picked a name from Claire's thoughts. "Gretchen. I'm sorry," she said.

"She didn't seem to understand the things that were important to me. Eventually it would have happened, but with the carnival stuff going on, I couldn't count on her. I really wanted her friendship. But in the end, I still found myself alone." Claire looked at Gabriel, remembering their talk in the closet of her dorm room, when she thought he was Gretchen. She had really hoped she'd found someone she could be herself with. And as much as Gretchen had reassured her that her being "different" meant nothing to her, it also meant that she couldn't understand how hard it was for Claire to be different. They parted, as friends, knowing they would never see each other again. Claire found another school, with Noah's help, and she was determined that things wouldn't be the same this time.

The three friends sat and talked for hours, until the restaurant finally had to kick them out. Selene had repeated her story to Claire, while Gabriel sat patiently, listening. He allowed that Selene and Claire were close, and the passing of time had not changed that. Maybe it was because of the fact that Selene was older, maybe because Claire's mother was so far away and didn't see her as often as she would have liked. But he noticed how Claire looked up to Selene, and how protective Selene was of the younger woman.

"Can I ask you something?" Claire asked tentatively. "Dad told me you lost your temper with him when you saw him. You wouldn't have...hurt him, would you, Selene?"

The concern on her face touched Selene. In that instant, she really wasn't sure. In all honesty, if Gabriel hadn't interfered, maybe she would have. "Don't worry, Claire. It's all good." She clasped the girl's hand to reassure her. "I'm going to move in with Gabriel, by the way," she said, looking at him. The smile on his face made her smile too. When he winked, she slipped her hand into his. "And if you're ever in New York, you'll have to come visit us."

"That's great, Selene!" Claire remarked. "No, of course, I'll come see you. Speaking of which, have you seen Peter yet?" Claire knew that Gabriel and Peter were friends now, ever since the Matt Parker incident, but wasn't sure what Selene was aware of. So much had changed the last couple of years. It was all like a dream to her sometimes, the hatred and animosity having vanished between her uncle and his mortal enemy.

"No, not yet, but we will," Selene promised. "It will be good to see him as well."

Sylar paid for the meal, while Selene and Claire exited the restaurant. Claire stopped Selene for a moment. "Are you really going to live with Gabriel? He's not the same person you once knew. He really has changed a lot."

"I know, Claire," Selene responded, an unspoken sigh in her voice. After everything we've been through, together and separately, I love him. I wasn't even sure if he would be with anyone else after all this time. The fact is, what we had is still there, and I'm more than grateful." She brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "If I had found him, and he was with someone...." Selene felt Claire's hand on her arm. The two women hugged, both knowing the pain of losing someone. But Selene felt fortunate to have Gabriel, even if he wasn't the man she had come to care for so deeply. Surely Sylar was in there somewhere.

Gabriel had just left the restaurant, and seeing Selene and Claire talking, headed in their direction. He draped his arm casually around Selene's shoulders as the trio walked back to the campus, and into Claire's dorm. As they entered her room, Claire thanked Selene and Gabriel for taking her out. "Since the carnival thing, I sometimes feel so isolated and alone. Since Gretchen left, no one wanted to be my roommate."

"No one?" Selene asked in disbelief.

"Well, a few did, but only so they could say they roomed with Freak Girl. It's better this way. Dad told me just go back home and go to school there, but since he's living in Washington now, I'd prefer to be out here, even if it means not seeing Mom and Lyle so often."

Selene hugged Claire. "If you ever need anything, call us. Anything at all, Claire. We can get here real fast." She looked at Gabriel and winked.

Claire had tears in her eyes. "Thanks, guys." She wiped them away, laughing. "I'll be ok."

Gabriel let Selene say goodbye to Claire, before he himself did so. Selene watched as the two former enemies hugged and parted, all smiles. She would never have believed this little scene so short a time ago.

Once they'd left Claire, watching her waving at them one final time before shutting her door, Selene faced Gabriel, and pulling his head down, she kissed him deeply.

"What was that for?" he inquired.

"I just wanted to thank you. I have another way to thank you, if you get us back to the hotel." She grinned and turned away, knowing he was staring at her as she walked away.

Gabriel followed Selene, her implied promise giving him the incentive to get back to Washington as soon as possible. When they'd exited the building, he looked around quickly to check for prying eyes, and taking Selene into his arms, lifted up into the sky, taking them back to DC.

**A/N: I know this chapter doesn't have a lot of action, but the next one will, with an interesting twist. **

**Additional note: something seems to be wrong with my reader counter. It looks like no one is reading any of my stories. This is hard on a writer's ego. It also makes reviews even more important, so that I know someone out there is reading. It's very difficult getting into writing mode, knowing we will not be seeing the show anymore. So help me by letting me know I'm writing to someone. You don't even have to say anything other than I read it! Many thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Things are not going so well for our empowered twosome. Once we knew the villains from the heroes. Maybe now, not so much.**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 6**

When Gabriel and Selene had returned to the hotel in Washington, they spent long hours making love and talking alternately, testing the waters of a deeper emotion than either had felt in their individually lonely pasts. The feelings they had for one another were still strong, and the almost two year separation had not affected that.

A decision had to be made whether to stay longer in the city, or return to New York. Gabriel made a call to Noah, who told him that he wasn't needed right now, but he would appreciate them staying in DC a few more days. Gabriel wondered why Noah would make such a request if he wasn't needed for duty at the center. He realized it had to be about Selene, and reluctantly, he agreed. "We'll stay, but only a few more days. Right." He closed his cell phone.

Selene balked at Noah's presumption, and Gabriel's willingness to 'follow orders'. She waited until he had hung up the phone before giving him what for. "Why are we staying in Washington a few more days? There is no reason for us to remain here, Gabriel. I want to go back to New York," she demanded, her arms folded in disgust.

Gabriel placed patient hands on her shoulders. "Selene, it's Noah. And it's the nature of my work now."

"I don't care." Selene shook off his hands. "Let's just return to New York. We can pack, and return to your apartment. Just call the Concierge and ask him to get us tickets on the next available flight out of here." She stopped, and turned to him tentatively. "That is, if you still want me."

Gabriel was next to Selene in a few strides. Holding her head in his hands, he kissed her. "Yes, yes, of course I do," he whispered to her, as he enveloped her in his arms.

Selene felt happiness suffuse her being. She wanted Gabriel, and hoped his feelings for her were such that he wouldn't protest in front of Claire, her sudden announcement. But she sensed he was just as happy. The promise of normalcy was something he had wanted, and now he had just that. If it wasn't for his current partnership, she would have no real problem with his life at all. It would never be too soon to get him away from Noah's influence.

Gabriel closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of Selene against him. He had been surprised when she told Claire she was moving in with him. Not that he would have said no to the idea. He just wasn't sure that a woman like Selene would be content as a watchmaker's wife. Did he really mean to think of her as his wife? Why not, he thought. He loved her. He knew she loved him. Time meant nothing to either of them. Of course, in time they would marry. Perhaps children would follow. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard the word "broken". He shook it off. He wasn't broken. He would never again feel like a loss as a human being. His world had mended, and he intended it to stay that way.

He pulled back from her, and smiling, suggested they go out for dinner. Selene had to admit she was hungry, and she needed to get out where Noah Bennet couldn't find them. They left the hotel, and walked down the main drag, looking for someplace unusual to eat. They found a small hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant. It was fairly quiet, so the waiter was especially solicitous. All the attention discomfited Selene, but the food was good and the ouzo deliciously relaxing.

When they finished their meal, they walked back to the hotel, arms wrapped around each other, relishing the cool night air. They talked and laughed, enjoying each other's company. So much of the earlier stress had disappeared, replaced by a feeling that everything was going to be ok at last.

Selene stopped. She heard more than the clicking of her heels on the concrete, coming from not far ahead of them.

"What is it?" Gabriel asked, scanning the area. He knew instantly that they were not alone.

"No one of importance. Just muggers, I think."

Two men stepped out from the shadows. "Well, well, what have we here. A couple of tourists? Tourists usually come to Washington with pockets full of cash. It's so expensive here. Isn't it?" His partner smirked. "We'll just relieve you of all that money, if you please." He waved a large knife as he spoke.

Selene couldn't help but laugh, which only angered both men. "You had better keep moving, guys."

"Bitch, I said we'll be taking all your money, and the jewelry while you're at it." He looked at his friend, smiling. "Looks like our luck has changed."

Selene looked at Gabriel, who hadn't taken his eyes away from the two thugs. She lost her smile, saying, "I'd say your luck has changed, for the worse."

Gabriel held out a hand, fingers curved, toward the man with the knife. He felt the resistance of flesh even though he was not close enough to the man to touch him. He could hear gurgling as the young man attempted to breathe through his constricted throat.

When the other man saw his friend being held by seemingly invisible bonds, he made a run for it. Seeing this, Selene waved her hand, tossing him easily against a brick wall over 200 feet away. His neck broke instantly. She turned to see that Gabriel still held the other mugger. When he did nothing, she turned on him. "Kill him. Kill him now." She grabbed his arm. "Gabriel, do it!"

He looked at the thug he had in his telekinetic grip. He didn't want to kill him. He couldn't. "No."

When she saw that Gabriel seemed unwilling to put an end to this common street thief, she raised her hands in frustration, blue electricity arcing across the empty space between them and the man. She lifted her hands, releasing him from Gabriel's hold, and raised the already dying body high into the air. When she sensed her victim was dead, she cut off the power, and let him fall to the concrete with a sickening thud. She smiled, seeing his body lying there, head, arms and legs at odd angles.

Gabriel looked at Selene, disbelief etched on his face. Grabbing her shoulder, he swung her around, and brought one hand to her throat, tightening his fingers. "Why did you do that?"

Selene looked into his eyes, the smile on her face unchanged. "What are you going to do, strangle me? Not exactly your style," she taunted.

Gabriel released his grip, and stared down at his hand. He tightened it into a fist. It was too easy to slip. He faced her, feeling something was happening between them, and it wasn't good. "What's wrong with you, Selene? You didn't just kill."

"What's wrong with me? I haven't changed, Gabriel, you have!" She focused on his eyes. "What if it had been an old woman, a war veteran in a wheelchair, a teenaged girl. Do you think that vermin would have shown any mercy to them?" Looking at the broken and bloody body, Selene said, "I did society a favor." Her turquoise eyes flashed in anger. "Why didn't you kill them?"

Gabriel hesitated. "I couldn't." Taking her by the shoulders, he said emphatically, " I don't kill anymore, Selene. I told you that. I made a promise to Peter. To myself."

"How can you deny what you are, Gabriel?"

"I'm not that person anymore." He released her abruptly, unsure how to convince her of his sincerity. Surely, she would know, but for whatever reason, she chose to doubt him.

Selene looked at Gabriel with disdain. "I don't know who you are anymore. You'd let assholes like that hurt or kill innocent people, rather than kill them first. Sylar would never allow that. If anyone attempted to cross you in any way..."

Gabriel looked at Selene beseechingly. "I'm not Sylar anymore."

"You can't just get rid of a part of yourself!" Selene stared at the man whom she once viewed as her superior, but now wasn't even her equal. If he refused to use his abilities, why have them at all, was her feeling. "Gabriel, once we talked about life, and how we chose to live it. We made our own rules. I never went out of my way to hurt anyone, but used my powers when I had to. You found me, and told me you wanted to change from being an uncontrollable killer to someone better than that. But now...look at you. You're nothing more than Noah Bennet's puppet." She stepped back from him, shaking her head as he started to protest. "I'm going back to the hotel." She noticed him start to follow her. "Don't...don't follow me." She turned on her heel, and walked away.

Gabriel watched as Selene left him. He went to stand over the charred body of the young man she had killed. As he looked down at the pooled blood, a memory flashed inside his mind of a time when such a picture would have made him smile. Now, it only disgusted him. His desire was to go after Selene, but she wanted to be left alone. Yet, he didn't want to give in to that demand.

Selene paced the floor of the living room. She was a mixture of emotions. Anger, disgust, confusion, and disappointment. Gabriel was not the same man she knew, it was very apparent. As much as she agreed his old methods were wrong, to let someone take advantage of them was unacceptable. She worried about him now, probably walking the streets with no place to go. Maybe she should go out and find him. No, now was not the time. She was still upset with him. And what was the thing with him trying to strangle her? It was as if, and only briefly, Sylar had come out. Maybe he wasn't as in control of himself as he would like to believe. And maybe that was her fault.

She heard a light knock on the door. She reached out with her mind, and headed for the door. She stood there, waiting a moment before opening it. Gabriel stood there. Neither said a word, until Selene said, "Come in." She stepped back.

Gabriel shut the door with a wave of his hand. "I'm sorry, Selene."

That was all she needed. She went to him, hugging him tightly. "No, I'm sorry. I never should have attacked you that way. I know how things are, and I don't know why it makes me so angry."

He held her, one hand rubbing the back of her neck. She looked up into his deep brown eyes. "I think I'm more angry that so much has happened with you, and I wasn't here to be a part of any of it." The pair clung to one another, each afraid of letting go first.

Gabriel had one thought, as he held Selene reassuringly. The two bodies he left in the street. No one would know how they'd died, or who had killed them. But Gabriel knew that it was only a matter of time. The police would start investigating, and Noah would hear of it eventually. It was time for them to leave Washington. "Let's go to New York."

"What about Noah? He won't like us leaving without telling him."

"Forget about Noah." He brushed a lock of hair that had fallen over her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. "Let's go home."

Selene kissed Gabriel. "Yes, yes! Let's go home."


	7. Chapter 7

**The consequences of Selene's actions cause trouble for her, and everyone around her. **

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 7**

Gabriel's cell phone rang. He reached for it quickly, before it awakened Selene.

"Gabriel, it's Noah. I have to see you. Be here within the hour."

"Noah, what's this about? We just got back." Gabriel was ready to hang up on his boss, no matter what the urgency was.

"I can't talk on the phone. Just be here." He abruptly hung up the line.

Gabriel put down the phone, and set it on the side table. He peered over at Selene, who looked beautiful, even asleep. What was he going to say to her? Her steady breathing told him she had not been disturbed by the call. He slid out from under the covers, and quietly left the bed. Still no reaction from her. Gabriel grabbed some clothes, and slipped out into the living room. After dressing quickly, he left the suite and went downstairs. Once he'd exited the hotel, he looked around, seeing few people on the street at this hour. He rose up into the air, and flew off.

Once he reached Center headquarters, landing just outside the front doors, he stepped into the lobby. One of the guards greeted him with a cheery "Hello, Mr Gray. Mr Bennet is expecting you", and let him pass through the security checkpoint. On entering the office, Gabriel walked over to the large desk that sat near the picture window, and found himself facing a very angry Noah.

"Are you responsible for this?" Noah demanded, tossing a file folder across his desk.

Gabriel picked it up and opening it, glanced over the first page. His eyes caught the words 'murders' and 'unknown'. The second page had photos of the two muggers that Selene had killed, lying on the street in their death poses. He closed the file and tossed it back on the desk. "Are you accusing me, Noah?"

Noah sat, motioning Gabriel to pull up a chair to the opposite side of the desk. "A witness saw two people, arguing by all accounts. One was male, tall, the other, a tall-ish female. They didn't see the actual killings, just these two people at the scene after. According to the preliminary police reports, one had a broken neck. Apparently, he had been slammed against the brick wall, killing him instantly. They found blood and tissue on the bricks. The other had been burned to a crisp as if electrocuted, and had enough broken bones that it was like loading a rag doll into the ambulance. It's too soon to make best guess conclusions, but it sounds very much like your old MO. Well?"

Gabriel shook his head. "I didn't kill them, Noah. You, of all people, should know that."

Noah stared at the man who sat across the desk from him. He'd known him for years. He also knew that Gabriel, while he went by the name Sylar, never had trouble admitting to any of his crimes. In fact, he was quite proud of them. Could it be another Special was involved, and not Gabriel? Realization hit Noah. "Selene."

Gabriel tilted his head as he looked at Noah from beneath thick brows, but he said nothing.

Noah stood, placing his hands on the desk as he leaned towards Gabriel. "Did she kill those men?"

Seeing no sense in denying the truth, he answered, "Yes, she did. They were muggers, Noah. They tried to rob us. She expected me to off them, but I couldn't. So she did. They weren't worth me stopping her."

"The police know who they are. Prior prison records, repeat offenders. I tend to agree with you. But the case won't close until they find who did it. You'll have to bring her back here, Gabriel. For her own protection."

Gabriel stood now. He faced Noah, a determined look on his face. "She won't agree to that. I know her. She hates you, Noah. She doesn't trust you, in any case."

Noah slapped the desk top hard. "You have no choice! Get her here. Or...I'd hate to have to give the order for her termination. She's a danger to everything we've tried to do here. If it got out that a Special was killing people..."

Gabriel started to protest, but Noah kept going.

"...it would jeopardize all our work. You know that, Gabriel! I could order you..."

"Asking me to kill Selene would be like me asking you to kill Claire. You can ask. You can order. I won't be party to it. And I'll defend her, if you get anyone else. Even your crack teams are no match for two of us, you know that." Gabriel felt as if he had to choose between his new life and his old. Kill or don't kill. And he was becoming angry at Noah for putting him in this position.

Noah saw what was happening, so he backed off. "Alright, Gabriel. We'll think of something else. I'll give the police an answer they won't question. That'll be that. But you've got to keep Selene under control. Tell her, if you have to. No more killing." He sat back down, removing his glasses to rub his eyes.

Without a word, Gabriel turned to leave. When Noah repeated his words of warning, he neither slowed nor looked back. His mind was a mixture of emotions, some older and dark.

Gabriel returned to the hotel, still upset at Noah's words. When he entered the suite, he saw that Selene had not awakened, but had only changed position. He leaned over and kissed her.

She opened her eyes. Looking up at him, she asked, "Where have you been?"

"You weren't asleep the whole time."

"No, I wasn't." She reached up to stroke his stubbled cheek, feeling his thoughts. "I'm sorry. Was he terribly upset?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "Very. It's Noah, after all. He says you can't just arbitrarily kill people. You're putting everyone, all Specials, at risk. It was difficult enough to placate people, after Claire's stunt. Might be the reason Noah is so adamant about it."

"So the police know. What can I do about that?" Selene tried to sound concerned, but in truth, she wasn't concerned..

"Noah said he'd take care of things," Gabriel said, unable to hide the bit of sarcasm in his voice.

Selene laughed at the pseudo-serious way Gabriel made the remark. He started to laugh as well. Selene sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Noah still thinks he's in charge of the world. Alright, I won't kill, arbitrarily. Now, can we go home?"

He leaned forward, lifting her chin with his fingertips, his mouth capturing hers.

Her arms slid up under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her hands. His flesh was unblemished by any flaw, having regenerated many times. She pulled back, looking into his passion-glazed eyes.

"We can leave...later," he said. Then he kissed her again.

Burying her face in the crook of his neck, Selene inhaled, letting his scent fill her with the desire she felt for him whenever they were together. So Noah wanted her locked away. At least Gabriel had refused to consent to that. The influence of the man who'd killed her wasn't strong enough to make Gabriel turn against her. And although she didn't feel bad about the deaths she had caused, she really didn't want to make trouble for Gabriel.

Gabriel and Selene returned to New York the next day. Gabriel helped Selene get what she'd left at her hotel, and moved her to his place. Having a companion after being alone for so long felt slightly odd. Of course, he didn't really remember living with Lydia while at the carnival. It wasn't really him. And being stuck in Matt Parkman's body was more like a short-lived nightmare, even if he had enjoyed tormenting the man. The only good thing to come out of that time was that he realized how jealous he truly was of Parkman. Jealous of his ability to balance his powers with being a normal family man. Gabriel knew he wanted unconditional love from someone who could accept him, as he was. Now he had that with Selene.

As he watched her place her clothes into several drawers he'd cleared out for her, Gabriel thought about how their life would be. He had his shop and the Center to keep him occupied. Selene might help him in the shop, but she'd never consent to work with Noah.

"You're right about that, Gabriel. I will never work with that man," Selene said aloud. "I'll stick with my government work in between working in the shop." She went over to him, placing her hands on his chest as she said, "I don't have your intuitive aptitude, but should be able to help in some ways."

He bent to kiss her. "I just don't want you to be sorry you're here. I want you to be very sure, about everything."

"Did you promise Noah to keep an eye on me?" she asked, smiling. She returned to her unpacking.

Gabriel said nothing, because he knew that Selene was well aware of his meeting with Noah. "Things have changed, Selene."

"Uh huh, I'm sure they have." She finished, and closed the last drawer, turning back to Gabriel. "As I recall, you had tried to fit in. Noah almost had you killed, but you knew what he was up to and managed to evade his little plot."

"He wouldn't try that now," he interrupted.

Selene continued, "Then let's see. You had your mind ripped from your body unceremoniously by Matt Parkman. You were then forced to live another man's life. Once you recovered your normal appearance, having no mind, you lived a life in limbo, with no thoughts or memories of your own." She saw him open his mouth, but she went on. "When you finallymanaged to merge body and mind, you again went seeking help, this time from the afore- mentioned Matt Parkman, who allowed you to speak your piece before sealing you inside your own head. There you were, stuck in some crazy nightmare until Peter went in and helped you escape." Selene held out her hands as she asked Gabriel, "How can you trust any of them?"

Gabriel grabbed her hands in his, bringing them close to his chest as he pulled her to him. "I was in a cycle of killing, not killing, and killing, until I didn't know who or what I was anymore. While I was not living my life, I found what it was like to live a fairly normal life. Through Nathan, and Parkman too."

"Gabriel, in case you haven't noticed, they weren't normal, and neither are we."

"That's not the point. They tried to live normally, and now...so am I. Can you accept that?"

Selene laughed low, while looking down at their joined hands. Looking up at Gabriel, she replied, "Yes, of course I can, sweetheart. And as long as I can put my talents to good use on occasion." She winked up at him.

Gabriel hugged Selene tightly to him. It was as good with her as it was several years ago, only in a way, it was better now. So what was this sense of foreboding he was feeling? And although Selene had promised to be wary of using her abilities, would Noah allow them to live in peace?


	8. Chapter 8

**Meeting with an old friend, means nice times for our couple. **

**But trouble looms. Just who is responsible?**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 8**

Over the next few weeks, Gabriel and Selene settled into the normal life. They worked together in the watch repair shop, while he would check in with Noah to see if he was needed for any assignments, much to her consternation. Selene still did not trust Noah, but it was Gabriel's job, so for now, she said nothing.

Gabriel showed Selene around the neighborhood, where they would talk and share each other's interests. At night, they would lie next to one another, their bodies touching. It was comforting to both. More often than not, they would spoon, Gabriel's arm draped over Selene's waist, her hand entwined with his.

By day, he would show Selene the ins and outs of jewelry repair. She noticed as she worked in the shop, how much Gabriel's customers like him. And he, for his part, seemed to enjoy their attention. This was not an affectation that Sylar had adopted, for Sylar never trusted or liked most people. This persona Selene was coming to love was very different from that other person. And she found him easier to love than she had expected.

"Gabriel, my watch stopped again. Can you take a look at it? I guess I should have brought it in earlier." An elderly woman spoke with him at the counter as Selene watched, slightly amused.

"Don't worry, Mrs Lieberman. It won't cost very much to fix." He lifted the watch to his ear. The gears seemed a bit off, not quite matched up so that there was friction causing the piece to slow more each day until it finally stopped. He popped off the back, and removed the gears. He chatted pleasantly while working, quickly putting the timepiece back together. Once he'd replaced the back, he handed the watch to the woman. "Here you go, Mrs Lieberman. As good as new."

"Oh, Gabriel, thank you so much. You do that so quickly." She leaned forward to whisper. "I just want to tell you that your fiancee is beautiful, and so sweet. You're a very lucky man." He made no secret of their relationship with his customers. Many had wished them well, after expressing an initial curiosity in the woman with the turquoise colored eyes.

He looked over at a smiling Selene. "Yes, she is. Now, I think your necklace is ready too. Why don't you ask Selene to get it for you."

When the woman came over to her, Selene was already holding a small envelope. She opened it, and turning it upside down, let a small gold chain slide out. "The necklace has been fixed, Mrs Lieberman. Gabriel replaced the broken clasp with a much better one. It's less likely to break or open unexpectedly." She handed her the necklace. "That will be $10.00 for both pieces."

The older woman looked at the chain. "Thank you, my dear," she said, patting Selene's hand, after she handed her the payment. "I wanted my niece to have this. Now it will be something she can actually use. Good day to you." She looked over at the handsome man now hunched over another piece. "Good bye, Gabriel, and thank you."

He looked up and smiled, before going back to his work.

The small bell at the top of the door rang as she left the shop. Selene went over to the work desk. She kissed Gabriel's cheek, saying, "I will never get over the changes."

"It can be disconcerting. I don't always believe it myself. Sometimes it's as if I've stepped back in time, before I had ever killed anyone." Selene watched him in silence as he worked, before he said, "I meant to tell you. Peter called. He wants us to come over for dinner tonight. Is it ok?"

"Of course! I haven't seen Peter in so long. We did promise Claire we would call on him."

"We talk on the phone often, if not in person. He really has been a great support, since..."

"I know," Selene said, slipping her arm into the crook of his. She didn't want to keep bringing up the past. "We'll need to buy a bottle of wine." She really was excited to see Peter after so long, although to her, it didn't really feel that long. But since things had changed, she wanted to know just how much. Was the relationship between Gabriel and Peter as amicable as the one between Gabriel and Claire appeared to be?

Later that evening, after Gabriel had run to a local store to pick up some wine, he and Selene caught a cab, and went to Peter's apartment. They took the stairs up to his floor, where Gabriel knocked on the door. A handsome man, slightly shorter than Gabriel, opened the door.

"Gabriel! Come in." Peter saw the woman standing beside his friend. He looked at her for the briefest moment, before hugging her. As he stepped back, he smiled. "Selene, it's good to see you. I was surprised when Gabriel told me you had come back. I mean, that you survived..." He let his voice faded off, embarrassed.

She tried to put him at ease by quickly interjecting, "It was a shock to me too, Peter. But now that I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, ever again," she said, looking up at Gabriel, the light of her love for him shining in her eyes.

He noticed too, leaning forward to kiss her. "Oh, the wine, Pete," he said, holding out the bottle to him.

Peter took it, and went into the kitchen. "So what have you two been up to?" he asked, as he opened the bottle and set it aside.

Gabriel took Selene's hand, and the pair followed Peter into the small kitchen. Selene noticed that since she had last seen him, Peter had picked up a few new, or rather, gently used, items for his apartment. He'd always been uninterested in the finer comforts the she so loved. And he had been born into a well-to-do family. She admired him for his convictions though, and never wanted him to think she looked down on his way of life. She walked over to him and stood at his side, watching as he prepared dinner. "So, are you seeing anyone, Peter?"

He smiled. "Her name is Emma. I was going to invite her over, but thought it should just be us this time. I do want you to meet her though. I know you'd like her." He seasoned some steaks before slipping them into the oven. "I met her at the hospital. She's a doctor there now."

"I'd love to meet her, of course." Selene stirred some vegetables that were boiling on the stove. They looked done, so she turned down the heat to keep them warm.

Peter, Gabriel and Selene chatted while dinner was cooking. As soon as the steaks were done, Selene took the pan of vegetables, and poured them into a bowl Peter had set aside for that purpose.

After all the food was on the table, everyone sat and ate, talking about what had gone on during the time when Selene was not there. The more painful times were not brought up, but Selene had to know what had compelled Peter to forgive Sylar for the murder of his brother. From Gabriel's memories, she had been able to piece together the circumstances of Nathan's death. But not only that, she was also aware of the time Peter had almost killed Sylar, demanding he become Nathan again. She watched with amusement the easy way they seemed to relate to each other, all past animosity gone. It was hard to believe that these two men had, on more than one occasion, attempted to kill each other.

"Peter, I know what happened after that Thanksgiving, but what I want to know is, were you more angry that Sylar had killed Nathan, or that it was he in the guise of Nathan all that time? I know you didn't have that much contact with him anyway, living here in New York."

Peter found it disconcerting that his thoughts were like an open book to the mind reading ability. "Nathan, or rather Sylar, and I had spoken on the phone a few times. He had come to me one day, asking, no begging me for my help. I hadn't seen my brother so agitated before. On retrospect, I know now that it was a confused Sylar asking for my help." He took a sip of the wine. " Sure, I hated him when I found out. Knowing that he had killed Nathan, I was furious at him. I really thought that if he became Nathan again, it would be like it used to be. It wasn't very realistic."

Selene matter-of-factly remarked, "Nathan was no saint, Peter. He was helping Noah, and you know what happened from that little partnership. Gabriel was killed, and so was I, thankfully neither permanently."

"Nathan had his faults. But he was my brother. When he died, I'd lost my best friend. I never thought I'd get that back again." Peter looked over at Gabriel, who merely smiled. "I'm surprised things turned out the way they did. I guess living in an empty world with a person for a few years gives you insight into who they really are."

Gabriel agreed, saying, "When Peter forgave me, I knew anything was possible. After all I'd done, I never expected anyone would, and I understood that. But he did. It gave me the opportunity to look for something better. And to find an inner peace that comes from a sort of self-forgiveness."

"I'm glad I'm here to see that, sweetheart," Selene said, feeling her face flush as Gabriel took her hand and kissed the palm.

"Ok, you two, enough of that. Time for dessert." Peter rose from the table and went into the kitchen. He returned with a small cake, which he proceeded to cut into three pieces. "It's not homemade, but it tastes good."

When everyone was done eating, Selene gathered the dishes. The wine had relaxed her, and she felt in a good enough mood to volunteer for KP duty. "So when are you and Emma getting married?" she called from the sink, as she washed the few dishes they'd dirtied.

"Don't rush it yet," Peter said back, chuckling. He looked at Gabriel, who raised an eyebrow at his friend. "I'm sure it will happen, just not sure when. You guys will be the second to know," he said, the lopsided grin lighting up his face.

It was getting late, and Peter had an early morning schedule, so the friends bid each other goodbye. Before she and Gabriel left, Selene hugged Peter tightly, and said, "The next dinner's on us. And you have to bring Emma, deal?"

Peter smiled. "Sure. We'll both come." He kissed Selene on the cheek, and said goodbye to Gabriel, hugging him while patting him on the back.

As they walked down the stairs and out onto the street, Selene observed, "Peter really seems happier, doesn't he? And just the fact that there's no anger in him anymore is remarkable. And I think that since Nathan's death, he has grown stronger. You both have come so far, Gabriel."

Gabriel's thoughts flashed back to the time they had made their peace, at last breaking through the mental brick wall Parkman's nightmare had created. "Yeah, we have," he agreed, nodding slightly. He held out his hand and hailed down a cab. Once they were seated in the back, Selene leaned against his shoulder, and closed her eyes. Gabriel noticed her smiling, and knew she wasn't asleep. Traveling in silence felt nice, even when thoughts could be shared. Between them, there was no need for constant communication.

When the taxi had reached the block where Gabriel's shop and apartment were, the cabbie turned and asked, "Hey, fella, do you mind if I drop you off here? I have a ride to pick up in the opposite direction. The fare's in kinda a hurry."

"That would be fine. We're not far anyway," Gabriel replied, pulling some bills from his wallet. He handed them to the driver, and he and Selene exited the vehicle. Holding hands, they walked on down the block. The store windows were barely lit, as all were closed at this hour. They laughed at things they saw, passing people but noticing none of them. The pleasant evening and the wine gave them both lightened moods.

Selene moved from Gabriel for a moment, stopping to peer into the window of a pawn shop. There she saw the most exquisite necklace, the stones a brilliant blue, even in this half light. _Sapphires,_ she thought. In the morning, she decided, she'd stop by and see them up close. She started for Gabriel, who had stopped to wait for her. A man walking in her direction brushed against her.

"Excuse me," he said, and hurried on down the block.

Selene's vision suddenly blurred as a wave of nausea hit her, and it was all she could do to remain standing. Her legs no longer held her, and she collapsed to the ground. "Gabriel!" Grasping her arm, her head fell forward, even as she struggled not to pass out.

Rushing to her side, Gabriel knelt beside her as she leaned against the building. Her thoughts told him what he needed to know, and he ran after the man who'd bumped her. He saw him turn the corner where the cabbie had dropped them off. Sprinting, he reached the corner, but looking to the left, he saw no one. Both sides of the street were devoid of people. There was no way possible he could have simply vanished. Unless...

Deciding not to leave Selene to pursue the man, Gabriel ran back to her, and gently picking her up, held her in his arms. But she still had no strength in her legs. He let her gently slide to the ground. "What is it? What did he do to you?" He tried not to panic as he checked her over. No wounds were visible.

Tears ran down Selene's cheeks as she felt fire-like pain course through her body. She knew Gabriel was beside her, but she couldn't see him. She tried to speak, but found her tongue too dry. "My...arm...Gabriel...something to my arm...," She cried out before the pain silenced her.

Gabriel tenderly looked at her arm, and saw a red spot, small but inflamed. The man must have injected her with something, a poison or virus. He picked up Selene, and carried her to the apartment. Laying her on the bed, he went to the living room and called Peter. "You have to get over here quickly, Pete. It's Selene. Someone did something to her. Injected her with...something. She's unable to walk, and complains of pain. I don't know what to do."

"Relax, Gabriel. Check for any sign of shock. Keep her warm if she starts to shiver. I'll be right over. And Gabriel...don't worry," he said, trying to reassure his friend.

After Peter had hung up, Gabriel went back to the bedroom, and was surprised to find Selene trying to sit up. She was breathing erratically through her mouth, but she looked 10 times better than a few moments ago. Gabriel had truly thought she was dying. And now she was looking obviously better. He sat on the side of the bed. "Selene, I called Peter. He's on his way here. You were... I was afraid...," He placed his hand on her head, smoothing her hair. When she grabbed his hand, he held hers tightly.

"I'm ok. I'm feeling better. That was the oddest sensation. My regeneration must have fought it off." She exhaled heavily.

"Maybe. We can't be sure. That's why I called Peter." Gabriel tried to gently push Selene into a prone position, but she would have none if it. A knock on the door took him from her side. It was Peter. He followed his friend into the bedroom, and seeing Selene sitting up, looked from her to Gabriel.

"You said she was in pain, and incapacitated." He went to her side, and using his medical instruments, checked her heart rate and blood pressure. He felt her forehead. _No fever_, he thought. He peered at the spot on her arm, rubbing it. It did look like an injection point, but was healing very fast, probably due to her regenerative powers.

Extricating her arm from Peter's grasp, she said, now irritated , "I'm ok, really. Whatever it was has passed." Selene brushed her fingers through her hair. "You know who's responsible for this."

Gabriel knew of whom she was speaking. "We don't know for sure that Noah had anything to do with this. Why would he?"

"To get me to join you, or just get me out of the way. How should I know what goes on in that twisted mind of his?" Selene worried the spot on her arm, which had now faded to almost nothing.

Gabriel looked to Peter, giving a slight shrug, before saying, "I don't think Noah would do anything to hurt you, Selene. He knows that doing anything to you wouldn't sit well with me. Why risk jeopardizing the relationship we've built to get at you?"

"Let's go ask him then. If he says he isn't responsible and is telling the truth, no worries." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Gabriel. "But if he denies responsibility, and I find he's lying, he dies," she said.

Gabriel agreed to take them back to Washington. He really didn't think Noah had anything to do with Selene's drugging, but he wanted her to know for sure. The one thing he didn't want was for her to always suspect the man he had to work with. A part of him also had to know for his own sake. He wouldn't work with Noah anymore if he found out he was trying to kill Selene.


	9. Chapter 9

**Since it's been forever since I've updated, I will re-cap for those who don't want to start again. Sylar had a dream that Selene was in trouble. After Claire revealed the Specials, 'normal' people, in fear, wanted them captured. Sylar, when not working in his watch repair shop, works with Noah at The Center, a place Specials can go to get help while in hiding. Sylar has taken his real name back and goes by Gabriel. One day, while in his shop, Selene walks in, alive and well. Their feelings have remained unchanged, and soon Gabriel asks Selene to marry him. She, however, hasn't forgotten nor forgiven Noah for killing her and Sylar (they did come back to life, but still...). She doesn't trust him at all. One night, after having supper out with Gabriel, Selene is attacked by a man who injects her with a toxin that leaves her helpless. Gabriel calls Peter who can't find anything wrong, since Selene seems to have recovered.**

**So here we go!**

**Selene has to trust someone who, so far, has given her no reason to believe in him. Will this person help, or will he lose Gabriel's trust as well?**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 9**

Gabriel took Selene to Washington in his usual fashion. To lighten the atmosphere, he said, "We should just move to Washington. Of course, we'd lose all these air miles." He noticed no change in Selene's face. Obviously she was in no mood to be amused, so he said nothing more. Once they had arrived at the Center, Gabriel led Selene into the lobby. The guard was about to stop them, but she gave him one glance, and he let them pass without a word. They proceeded upstairs to Noah's office, where Selene stepped in front of Gabriel, and using her TK, opened the door several feet before they even reached it. She saw Noah sitting behind his desk and stormed in, one arm raised.

Noah stood to greet the pair, but his smile instantly disappeared. He asked, "What's going on here, Gabriel?" He noticed the furious look on the woman's face. "Selene?"

Just as she was about to wave her hand at the confused man, Selene fell to the floor, crying out in pain. She clutched at her abdomen, calling for Gabriel, who went to her side instantly. Just as Noah walked around his desk, trying to reach Selene, Gabriel looked up, and throwing out his hand, tossed Bennet against the wall like a rag doll. "Don't struggle, Noah. It'll just make things harder...for you."

Trapped there, and with the wind knocked out of him, Noah managed to ask, "Gabriel...what's going on? What's wrong with Selene?"

"Did you sic one of your assassins on her, Bennet?" Gabriel demanded, his eyes dark with anger.

"Assassins! What are you talking about, Gabriel? Tell me...what...happened."

"She was injected with something last night." He held Noah with one hand, while touching Selene with the other, letting her know he was with her.

"Look, I swear I had nothing to do with that. Let me help her. Gabriel!" Noah felt himself slide to the floor but was able to keep his balance. He moved to Selene's side, keeping a wary eye on his partner. He hadn't seen him this upset in a long time, not enough to use his abilities against him anyway.

Gabriel held Selene's hand, squeezing it tightly. Her anguished cries tore at him. He watched as she slipped into unconsciousness. Even with all of his powers, he'd never felt so helpless. He explained to Noah, "Yesterday, we had just eaten dinner, and were on our way home, when this man bumped into her. It all happened so fast. She fell to the ground in pain. I tried to follow the guy around a corner, but he'd vanished, like..."

"Like someone with abilities," Noah finished.

"Noah, I just knew she was dying. I got her home and called Peter. By the time he arrived, she was feeling much better. He thought her regenerative ability must have fought off whatever was injected into her."

"Whatever it is can apparently can be re-triggered." Noah went over to his desk and picking up his phone, called the Bio-Lab. "Get to my office with a Class Two medical kit and a gurney, pronto!" He placed his hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Our doctors will take a look at her. Don't worry. We have the best scientists in the country here. We'll find out what kind of toxin was used. Once we've cured her, we'll find out who did this, and why."

"I'm glad you're not responsible, Noah. Selene was so sure..."

"Why would I do that, Gabriel?" Noah asked, sincerely perplexed by the accusation.

"Because you've done it before." Gabriel looked at Noah, a rueful smile on his face, because he knew the man. Hadn't he tried to have Sylar killed when they were partners a few years ago?

Noah looked at Gabriel, wanting to convince him he had nothing to do with this. "I swear to you, it wasn't me." He turned to Selene, noticing color coming back to her face. She opened her eyes, her hand reaching upward. "Gabriel..."

Feeling her hand squeeze his, Gabriel leaned close to Selene's face. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm in pain, but it's not so bad now." She tried to steady her breathing. Looking up at Noah's concerned face, she felt his thoughts, and knew he was just as worried as Gabriel was. He hadn't done this. She felt so sure it had been Noah, but now her uncertainty threatened to break her. Never had she felt so vulnerable. Who was trying to kill her again? Her thoughts wandered into the past, even before she'd met Sylar that night in front of the house she had borrowed. She couldn't think of anyone in particular who might want to see her dead. But she had done a lot of stealing and killing for her clients. Fear ate at her as she held Gabriel's hand tighter.

A man in a white coat entered the office, followed by two men with a gurney. They brought the gurney to Selene's side.

When Selene saw it, she raised herself up into a sitting position and shook her head. "No, I won't be needing that."

Both Gabriel and Noah helped her stand up. "I insist," Noah said, as they helped her up onto the gurney. She lay back, sighing at all the fuss. She was feeling infinitely better now.

Bending over her, Gabriel kissed Selene. He brushed her hair from her face, as he sensed the tension in her body slowly dissipate, and her thoughts becoming more settled and less fearful. If this had happened 2 years ago, he'd know what to do. Search for the perpetrator and kill him without mercy. But now, he would wait to see what Noah advised. He had dealt with things like this before, and Gabriel trusted him, to a point. Still, he was glad to know that Noah hadn't lied when saying he wasn't responsible. Together, they'd work to protect Selene.

"Gabriel, you do trust Noah, don't you." she said, reading him like a book.

"Yes, I do, Selene."

She smiled up at him. "Then I do, too."

Hearing this, Noah came to her side. "Selene, we'll find out what was used on you and how to neutralize it. Then we'll find out who did this. I promise." As he followed everyone to the Bio-Lab, he wondered who was responsible. To keep Gabriel from losing control again, Noah would have to make sure Selene was ok, and that her attackers were found...soon.

O o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o O

Selene lay on a medical bed, allowing blood to be drawn. She watched as her skin healed instantly from the needle pricks. She was beginning to feel annoyed, but she knew that she would need Noah's help and the facilities here at the Center, if she were to find out who was trying to kill her. And it was she who had been attacked. Not Gabriel.

Her lover stood at her side, waiting until the doctors left them. Pressing the button on the exam bed, he raised her to a near sitting position, then sat on the edge and held her hands in his, warming them. Leaning forward, Gabriel kissed her deeply, and pressed his forehead to hers.

"I wanted to kill him," Selene whispered, referring to Noah.

He leaned back and chuckled. "I did too."

"He has to find out what's happening to me, Gabriel. If this toxin can kill me, it can kill you too. Anyone with regenerative powers will be at risk." A thought came to her about Noah's own daughter. "That means Claire as well. He has to find an antidote to whatever is in me." She tried to rise up, but Gabriel gently pushed her back down.

"We'll find a cure, I promise. I won't lose you again, Selene. For once, I have a reason to live a normal life, and I need you to be a part of it." He placed his hand on her cheek, looking deeply into her turquoise eyes, the very ones he'd known he'd never see again. He pressed his lips against hers, feeling her respond to him. "As soon as we do find a cure, I'm taking you somewhere warm and tropical. And no argument."

"I don't know what makes you think you can tell me what to do, but I'll humor you, Gabriel," Selene said, winking at him.

"I'm going to go talk to Noah. I'll be right back."

"No! Don't leave!" Selene clutched at his hand.

He sensed the abject fear in her, but he had to go speak with Noah. "I'll be back, I promise. You're safe here, Selene. You're in the lower levels where security is much tighter, especially against rogue Specials. No one would be able to get in, even if they tried." Gabriel reached for the call button and gave it to her, saying, "Just push this if you need anything. The medical staff is on the other side of that door. Don't worry. As soon as this is all over, I'm going to take you far away from the city." He gave her one more kiss before leaving, noticing the fear in her eyes. He'd often seen that look when he was about to slaughter a Special, and it had never affected him. But this time, his heart ached.

O o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o O

"So, Noah, what did the technicians find out?" Gabriel asked as soon as he saw his partner.

Noah was reading over the chart with the results of Selene's blood test. "It seems that this toxin, whatever it is, lies dormant within her system until some innate alarm within the toxin itself brings it to life, causing Selene pain. The doctors don't know if the pain is indicative of something that will actually kill her, but they do know that the time span between attacks is shortening. At some point, she won't even be able to function anymore."

"Ok, ok, so what's the cure?" Gabriel asked anxiously.

"The lab technicians are breaking down the blood samples as we speak, looking for anything that's anomalous. If we find something that isn't a typical blood element, we'll try to identify what it is. Once we find out what makes up the toxin, we can find a way to neutralize it." Noah perused the chart one more time, before closing the folder.

"Noah, as soon as you find out something, I want to take Selene away from here. Just for a few days. When we get back to New York, we'll do some checking ourselves. If someone did this to Selene, I can't imagine that they're not watching her."

Noah nodded. "I had that thought, too. Ok, you can take her away for awhile. Just give us some time to deconstruct this toxin. Don't do anything stupid, Gabriel, when you're away from the Center. I don't want you injected too." He sighed heavily. "Just be watchful."

Gabriel left, wondering when and if they would find out what was coursing through Selene's veins. He'd call Peter and let him know they were in Washington, and what had happened while they were here. Then he'd rejoin Selene. He wanted her to stay calm and just be with her, because for the first time today, he felt fear too.

O o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o O

Unknown to Selene, Gabriel or Noah, the toxin didn't just cause pain to its subject. It also had a tracker in it. And someone was watching Selene's every move.

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I've been busy working on High Noon Showdown, but now that I've hit a breaking moment on that particular story, I thought I'd work on this one. Lesson one: never have several stories going at once. ;-)** **Thank you, my readers!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Selene finds out who's behind her illness. **

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 10**

The shadow moving along the exterior wall went unnoticed by anyone. This was the place he was told to go. The mission was simple enough. Get in, find the subject, give them the ultimatum, and get out.

Because of his special ability, he was able to slip past security without detection. If anyone looked directly at him, he would only appear as 'dark air', insubstantial, a mirage, a blur in one's eye. Moving deeper into the facility, he rode the elevator down into the bowels of the building, where intelligence reported his target would be.

He exited the elevator to the left, walking down the hall until he reached the room he was told to seek out. Not needing to open the door, he faded in and through it. No one else was in the room, no one except her. He approached her bed, and leaned over her sleeping form. Just as he began to become more solid, his target opened her eyes. His hand covered her mouth before she could scream out a warning. Having anyone else come in just now would mess up everything. "If you say anything, I'll kill you. Believe me, I can too. If I uncover your mouth, will you let me explain before you go calling out for your boyfriend or your boss?"

Selene's mind worked rapidly, considering her options, and realized they were few. If this man had anything to do with what was wrong with her, it might be better to listen to what he had to say. Calling for Gabriel wouldn't give her any extra time, even if he heard her. She nodded. The hand was removed from her mouth, at which she spoke up, "Who the hell are you? How did you get in? Security is..."

"Yeah, security is tight here, I know. But my power sort of makes that inconsequential. I can become like air, insubstantial to the eye or material objects. Now if you listen to me, I'll tell you why I'm here. The people I work for are the cause of your current condition." He held out a small vial that held several pills. Tipping it, he let some of the small blue objects fall into his hand. He took one and handed it to Selene. "A cure," he said. Handing her the one pill, he put the rest in the vial, sealed and slipped it into his shirt pocket.

Selene took the pill and popped it into her mouth, figuring she had little choice. If he had wanted to kill her, there would have been many ways for him to accomplish that. But to her surprise, she began to feel infinitely better.

"In a larger dose, you would be completely cured within hours." The man stepped back from the bed, as Selene sat up. He wasn't sure just how much of her abilities she would get back, if any. He moved warily to the foot of the bed. "We have a proposition for you, Selene."

"Ok, so you know my name. What I do. And obviously people here. Now just who do you work for?" She was sitting fully upright, internally testing herself, but she realized her strength was not even half of her full potential. So she waited to see what this so called proposition was.

"Someone you've worked for before."

"I'm listening," she replied, wishing Gabriel would come back. She was even willing to have Noah burst in at this point.

"It's really very simple. You used to work for this organization, then one day you vanished. They didn't take that very well. A lot depended on your willingness to do jobs, but since you fell off the radar, there have been more missions left undone. No operative did as well as you. Yes, you did very well for the FBI and CIA, but we needed you more. International affairs have deteriorated to a very bad level, and the president..."

As she listened to the man, realization hit her. The Secret Service? All of her suffering was originating from the more covert branch of that service? "Look, you insignificant toadie, I was dead." As she saw the look on his face, she continued, "Yes, killed. I was locked in a morgue hidden away in a building run by...well, by some of the people who run this place. I finally self-repaired, but it took over a year. When I woke up, the place had been abandoned. They left me there. So I did some work for the CIA, odd jobs in exchange for, not only money, but the full use of their computer database. I was looking for someone. I'm engaged to him now."

The man shrugged. "Whatever. My bosses want you back, and they're willing to show just what can happen if you don't cooperate."

Selene held up a hand. "I don't get this. They're willing to use methods that make me useless to them?"

The man smiled. "They have the cure. Work for them, and it's yours. No more sickness. You can even live your life any way you want, as long as you're completely accessible to the agency."

"Ok, whoever you are, I don't care to be "accessible" whenever someone snaps their fingers. I spent a lot of time working for anyone willing to pay my price, and I'm done with that now. I'm going to be married soon. My fiance works for this outfit, helping people like us," she explained. "All I want to do is live a normal life. I don't need to be super agent anymore. Got that? Go back and tell your bosses I don't want anymore to do with them, or their threats."

He looked at the floor, slightly shaking his head. Then he looked up at her. "They won't like that. It doesn't end until they say so."

Selene removed the blanket, and placed her legs over the edge of the bed, standing while she faced the man. "I think, after all the work I did for them, they owe me. And all I want is to be left alone."

He said nothing, just stood there and waited. A smile of satisfaction came over his face as he watched Selene double over in pain. "That pill was temporary, by the way."

_**In another part of the building...**_

"Gabriel, we're doing all we can for Selene. Finding a cure is difficult, when you don't know what it is you're trying to cure."

"Noah, if she dies for real this time, I won't be someone you'll want in this organization. Losing her would..." Gabriel's eyes narrowed, as he imagined ripping the city to pieces, starting with this place.

An alarm sounded, interrupting the two men. Noah scanned the tracking screen that covered every floor of the Center. "Security breach. Lower level." He looked at Gabriel. "They're after Selene." He waved at the heavily armed security detail that had already come into the room. "Let's go!"

Back in Selene's room, the man looked down at an incapacitated Selene. "Gotta run. We'll be in touch." He bent down on one knee, and whispered in her ear. "Think about what I said." Then he vanished.

Noah and Gabriel burst into the room, followed by the armed men, but they saw no one except Selene, now collapsed on the floor. "Search every corridor, every floor. Do it!" Noah yelled to the guards.

Selene saw her lover, and called out for him. "Gabri..."

Gabriel gathered Selene into his arms, and placed her back on the bed. He brushed her hair off her face and kissed her forehead. "Selene, can you hear me? Who was here? Who was it?"

Noah glanced around, spying something on the floor. He bent to pick it up. "Damn, he's gone!" Walking over to the bed, he looked down at Selene. "Is she ok?"

Gabriel held her hand tightly. "No, she isn't. Noah, he got away. And I want him." A look of fury darkened Gabriel's visage. Even Noah's hand on his shoulder did nothing to soothe his anger.

Noah smiled at the blue pill in his palm. "Well, it looks like in his eagerness to leave, the intruder left behind something we can study," he said. He showed the tablet to Gabriel. "You stay with Selene. I'm taking this to the lab for immediate analysis." For the first time since he'd become a company man, his mind wasn't whirring, adding up the numbers. Instead, all he found himself wanting was a cure for Selene.

**A/N: I know this is short, but I wanted to add something to the story. Been busy with vacations, work and plain writer's block. Thanks for reading, and comments welcome!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Now that Selene is better, she and Gabriel are out for blood.**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 11**

Noah had ordered the lab techs to work around the clock until the ingredients in the blue pill were analyzed and replicated. Two days later, Noah was informed that the substances had been identified, and could be duplicated in a liquid form. The scientists involved in the project had determined that the poison had a two-fold effect. One, that it took away Selene's powers, weakening her. Second, it left a tracer in the victim's bloodstream, allowing them to be followed anywhere on the planet they might venture.

Now that Selene knew who her attackers were, all that remained was for her to get her powers restored, and go after those responsible.

"So you know these people, Selene?" Noah asked.

"I used to work for them. They're not taking it kindly that I'd decided to stop. And the fact that I had basically dropped off the face of the Earth, so to speak, well...this is their way of showing me they can force me to do what they want."

Gabriel reigned in the anger he was feeling. It all seemed so stupidly pointless.

Lying in her bed, with her Gabriel standing at her side, she took the cup that Noah offered her. A doctor waited nearby in case there were any nasty side effects. "Well, this had better work. I'm really tired of being grounded in this bed," Selene said bravely, her eyes on Gabriel.

"It's a double dose. The lab techs determined that the pill would have only a temporary effect. By doubling the dosage, it should completely wipe out the poison.

"The man did say the pill was temporary," Selene said, looking at the liquid inside the cup.

Feeling helpless was something Gabriel hated, never having had to confront his own weakness in a long time. He leaned down to kiss Selene, whispering in her ear, "I love you." Watching as she drank the contents of the cup, Gabriel held his breath. If this formula worked, and Selene got better, he would find the bastards who did this to her and kill them, slowly and painfully. It sounded like a cliché to him, but he would want no less than that.

Selene swallowed the bitter potion, and waited. At first, nothing felt any different, but then she felt her strength coming back. Looking at Noah, she smiled as she rose from the bed. She waved off his offer of support as she found her footing. In a fraction of a second, Gabriel was at her side as she inhaled deeply, and then exhaled. She gazed up at him and nodded.

"Stand back, Noah," Gabriel warned.

Selene held out her hand, sending an electrical charge into the wall. The wall scorched, she turned off the power, but forming a loose fist, she called up an energy ball, holding it within her hand. Smiling, she allowed the energy to dissipate, unused. "It worked, Noah!" Turning to Gabriel, she jumped into his arms, crying, "It worked. It worked!" They both laughed with joy that Selene was healed. Then she had a thought. "Noah, what about the tracer?"

"Don't worry about that," he said. "We found a way to neutralize the tracer. As long as your powers returned, well, that was the main issue at hand." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Now that we have the antidote, no one will be able to use it on you, or any Special, ever again."

The smile left Gabriel's face as he remembered his intent. Find those responsible and kill them. He looked at Selene, who could see his thoughts in his eyes, and said, "I need something to wear. Seems we have a mission now."

"You should let us go with you, Selene. I can get together a group of sharpshooters…"

"And what, go after a government agency?" she interrupted. "No, you can't do that, Noah. The Center has to stay open. Gabriel and I will take care of things as private citizens. Enraged citizens, maybe, but hey, they started this. And I intend to finish it in their backyard." Selene found some clothing in the room's closet, and cocking an eyebrow at Noah, she waited for him and the accompanying doctor to leave.

"Selene, do you know where to go?" Gabriel asked as he waited for her to dress.

"There was an office I'd gone to a few times, when I would receive instructions for a mission. It's as good a place to start. Several of the directors worked there. I say we pay them a visit."

"Without their knowledge, of course," Gabriel said, a cruel smile on his face.

Selene finished pulling the shirt over her head, and went to stand in front of Gabriel. Sliding her arms around him, she snuggled closer, saying, "Of course. Oh, Gabriel, I know you've been successful in not using your abilities to hurt others. If you don't want to go, I can handle them myself."

Gabriel brought his hand up to cup Selene's cheek, his thumb running along her bottom lip. "Nothing will stop me from protecting you, even if it means killing again." He bent to kiss her, his mouth pressing hers open, as his tongue sparred with hers. He hugged her tightly, saying, "I won't lose you, Selene, I'll never lose you."

"I love you, Gabriel. No matter what happens, I'll always be with you."

Taking her hand, Gabriel said, "Let's go get us some bad guys."

After they left the building, giving Noah a warning not to follow them, Gabriel and Selene took a cab downtown, stopping in front of a non-descript brownstone. "Drive around to the alley," Selene ordered the cab driver, who dropped them off in an alley perpendicular to the building's front entry way.

"They have surveillance cameras at all the entrances," Selene told Gabriel.

"This is it?" Gabriel asked. He couldn't see how such a small building could house so powerful an organization as the one that was hounding Selene now.

"Typical? The entry way seems to lead nowhere important, but then, the secret closet houses the true entry into the lower levels where the real action is. That's the way it is in all the spy films, right?"

He chuckled low, taking her by the arm, and leading her to a small window. "Wonder where this goes?" he asked aloud. He reached down, and tried to open the window. It was locked. He extended his hand and tore the glass from its frame, letting the fragile pane slowly settle to the ground.

Going in first, Gabriel held out his arms, helping Selene through the opening. Together, they surveyed the room they had entered. It held nothing but a few boxes. The one thing both noticed was the heavy gauge steel door that stood in one wall of the room.

"Why such a secure door into a room that has nothing important in it?" Gabriel mused aloud.

Selene glanced around. "They know we're here."

"If secrecy is no longer the issue, then let's make some noise." Gabriel tore the door open with the flick of a hand. The door flew out into a long hallway, crashing against the wall, partially sliding to the floor. Stepping over it, he waited for Selene to follow, and both headed down the corridor.

"Do you know where you're going?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. I've been there only enough times to know where, and who. Come on!" Jogging down the hall, the pair came upon a couple of guards, Selene had an idea. Steathily, she moved behind the unsuspecting men, and grabbing each by the shoulders, she sent enough electrical charge into their bodies to stop their hearts. Both fell to the floor like sacks of potatoes.

"Selene, what are you doing?" Gabriel was at her side immediately.

She knelt beside one of the dead guards, and lifted up one of his hands. "Gabriel, can you slice this off?", indicating the man's thumb. "We'll need it to access the elevators."

Doing as she bid him, and using his power, Gabriel sliced the thumb from the hand. He handed it to Selene, who wrapped it in a torn piece of shirt. "Let's go!" she said, both going to an elevator that was close by. Once inside, Selene unwrapped the bloody thumb, and wiping the pad, placed it against the access panel, then hit the 3rd floor-upper button. Reading the unique thumb print whorl, the system recognized the owner of the pattern, and the elevator began to rise. Tossing the digit to the floor, she turned to Gabriel, and asked him pointedly. "Does this bother you? Just a warning, I don't intend to take any prisoners."

Clearly, her warning was for his benefit, knowing he was no longer in the killing business.

Gabriel took Selene's hands in his. "They hurt you. All I want now...is revenge. Is that simple enough for you, Selene?"

A slow smile grew as she realized that her fiance was as much Sylar as he'd ever been. Even if he didn't still wantonly murder people, he still had the capability within him to do so. And she needed that now, this moment.

Stepping off onto the 3rd floor, Gabriel noted several doors on either side of the hallway. "So, which one?" he asked.

Selene took his hand, and led him down the hall. "This way," she responded.

When they came to a door, Selene thrust out her hand, satisfied when the door popped off its hinges and flew into the room. Upon entering, she scanned the room quickly, seeing someone behind the desk she hadn't seen for over a year. "Hello, Marcus."

The man stood, a look of shock on his face. "Selene! How did you...I thought..."

"That I was incapacitated? At your mercy? You underestimate me, Marcus. You underestimate all of us," she said, referring to the Specials hired by the organization.

Marcus glanced from Selene to Gabriel. "Who's he?"

"That is Gabriel, the strongest of us all, as far as I can tell. His power would amaze you. However, I wouldn't recommend you trying to lock him up to do your bidding. It's been done before, and I don't think he'd allow it again." She winked at Gabriel. "Would you, love."

Gabriel held up a hand, electricity crackling from finger to finger as he stepped closer to the desk. "No, I don't think so."

Marcus moved ever so slightly, then walked from behind the desk, hands out in supplication.

"I saw that, Marcus. You are getting rusty, aren't you." She looked at her watch, knowing that a silent alarm had been pushed by the fearful man. "Sent for your goons? About 2 minutes, I'd guess. No matter. We can handle them, can't we, Gabriel."

As he saw her nod, Gabriel thrust out his hand, not only sending the man flying into the wall behind him, but lighting him up with current. Not enough to kill him, though, just enough to make his thinking rummy.

Just then a group of men carrying powerful firearms tore into the room. They saw Selene and Gabriel, and started firing, the bullets falling harmlessly to the carpet. As they emptied their weapons, and familiar with what Specials could do, they realized they were already dead men.

Gabriel and Selene took out each man, either with an electrical attack, or depriving them of oxygen, or just tossing them around as if they were rag dolls. One was dispatched by being thrown out the window, and although it was only 3 stories up, the fall broke the man's neck as he impacted onto the roof of a parked car.

Finally, all were dead. Smiling, Selene walked over to Marcus. "You failed, old friend," she said, sarcastically. "You should have let me do things for you when I wanted, not just at your beck and call. I have a new life now. One that doesn't include you or your organization." She felt Gabriel come up behind her, and rest his hands on her shoulders. "I use my powers when I choose." Waving her hand as she glanced around the room, she gave her nemesis one last look. "This...was just a warning to your bosses. Nothing personal. Good bye, Marcus. Enjoy Hell."

The man refused to be cowed by his attacker and former employee. If he had to die, he would go with a curse on his lips. "As soon as you arrive there, we'll have a nice chat about it," he spat out.

Gabriel glared at Selene's torturer. Lifting his hand, he pointed his finger, and sliced the man's throat.

As Selene watched the man bleed out, she was surprised to find that she felt...nothing, as if her own emotions were bleeding out too. This was such a waste. She just wasn't the same as she'd been a year ago. Killing didn't give her any peace. "Let's go, Gabriel." She turned to leave.

Gabriel stopped her, grabbing her upper arms, gently keeping her from moving. "Selene, it's over now. You're safe. We can go back to New York, get married and work for Noah only when we want to."

"Do you think that was all it took? Gabriel, that was like cutting off the head of the Hydra. When you do that, more appear. This isn't over yet. They will keep coming back until I die or agree to work for them. They will never stop!" She pulled away from him, and stalked out, leaving the building by the front door. Coming in was always harder than leaving.

**A/N: sorry for not updating sooner. My Heroes muse had abandoned me, as I started writing "Tron" and "Tron : Legacy" fictions. I'm finishing up this one in a chapter or two. To those who waited for another chapter, my apologies and hope you will enjoy the ending that is coming up soon. Thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12

**This is the end of Selene and Gabriel's story. As with many endings, there can be many interpretations. You choose what happens next.**

**I do not own Heroes.**

**For love of a friend Part 12: Epilogue**

Gabriel and Selene headed back to the Center, until Selene stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Gabriel asked, his hands clutching her shoulders.

"I...I can't go back. If I go back, they'll try again. I won't have any peace, and neither will you."

Pulling Selene into his arms, he held her tightly, whispering reassurances. "I'll kill anyone who even tries to hurt you."

Selene pulled away, and wrapping her arms around her body, lowered her head and exhaled in frustration. She glanced over at Gabriel. "You keep telling me that you don't want to be that person you were before, but I loved you as you were. I never asked you to change."

"I had to change for my own reasons, Selene. And I'm not sorry."

Selene hugged the man who had been her partner, her pleasure and her strength. But if she stayed with him, it might not be only her life, but his as well, that would be in danger.

Gabriel tried to soothe Selene's fears, but it wasn't working. Then he had an idea. "Let's go see Noah."

Selene shrugged, wondering how easy had it been for Gabriel to utter those words, and mean them as something good. But reading his thoughts, she smiled. If this worked, she might get to feel the cool breath of freedom at last.

OoOoOoOoOoO

In a few days, a news story was splashed all over the front page of a local DC paper. A chartered plane carrying several government employees, had crashed over the Atlantic coastline, after a horrible explosion. No attempts to find the plane were being made. A list of people, along with their pictures, made the headlines, one of those people pictured being Selene. Since the trip was considered a private venture, and everyone knew that meant top secret, there was no further investigation into the crash. The fact was, Noah had pulled some very high level strings, as well as having called in some markers owed him over the years. Without the help of these old associates, the NTSB would have been all over the crash zone. In any case, as far as the world was concerned, Selene Dennison was dead. And to the man who loved her most, she may as well have been dead, for she had left with no forwarding address.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Gabriel walked to the small park that was several blocks down from the Center. As he strode along, hands buried deep in his pockets, he thought he saw someone familiar. For a moment, his mind told his eyes they were deceiving him. But the lone woman turned, and even though her hair was up in a hat that covered her entire head, even though she wore sunglasses that screamed 'socialite', he knew it was Selene. He went over to her slowly, each step he got closer to her causing his grin to grow. "You're here."

"Only for a minute. I had to say good bye to you one more time."

He glanced around the park, but Selene reassured him.

"Don't worry. I checked very carefully. After the mess we left, I imagine it will take awhile for them to set up operations here any time soon. I just hope that crash story holds. Please tell Noah thanks for that, will you?" She let him take her into his arms, cradling her as he nuzzled her neck. He inhaled her scent, knowing this would be the last time he would smell her. His arms and hands made note of every inch of her torso. His mouth captured hers, tasting her for the last time.

Pulling back, Selene looked at Gabriel, saying, "The world is a large place, but we're immortal. Maybe one day, when everyone associated with all the outfits who have ever used and abused us are dead, we can finally enjoy some peace. Then we'll find each other again, I promise." She gazed into his eyes as if trying to keep the image of his obvious love for her, a part of her memories forever. Selene embraced him tightly, molding her body to his. Then she pulled back and kissed his cheek, pressing hers against the scratchiness of his stubble. She whispered in his ear, "I love you, Sylar. I always will." Then she turned and walked away, never looking back. In that moment, as he watched her walk away, Gabriel made a decision.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Upon reaching the Center, Gabriel passed security with a curt nod to the guards, then rode the elevator up to Noah's floor, knocking gently on the door of his erstwhile boss.

"Come in, Gabriel," Noah called out, having already been informed of his arrival as soon as he passed the security checkpoint. "Sit," he said, indicating the chair opposite his desk. Noah leaned forward on his elbows, his hands clasped together. "So, it's over."

"Selene is gone, Noah. She wanted me to thank you for your help. She's pretty sure the people who had gone after her will be pretty busy cleaning up the, um...mess we left them. And with the news article, they may not bother to verify anything about her death anyway.

Noah wasn't surprised to hear that there had been deaths involved with Gabriel and Selene's personal mission. Frankly, knowing that this hidden branch of the Secret Service would have gladly interfered with his own operations, Noah was happy to hear that Gabriel had eliminated the 'competition'. Hiding his glee, he asked, "I'm sorry Selene felt we couldn't provide ample protection for her."

Gabriel wished that had been the case, but he had to answer honestly. "No, Noah. Selene was a loner, right from the night I'd first met her. I think she felt she could take care of herself better if she was alone. I had no choice but to let her go. Maybe in 50 or so years, we'll get together again." He lowered his head, wondering how long it might take for their next meeting. Raising his head to look at Noah, a smile was now on his face. "She kept the ring."

Noah nodded in understanding. She wouldn't ever be far away. The world was only so big. Looking at his best operative, he noticed something in Gabriel's eyes. "Was there...something else?"

"I've decided to keep the name Sylar, Noah. It's **my** name. I realized it doesn't have to be associated with blood and killing and death. I've become someone better, but it won't mean anything unless it's Sylar becoming the better person. Calling myself Gabriel feels like I'm running away from that part of me, and I'm not. I've confronted my demon, and controlled it."

Noah looked out the window. The sun shone through the open drapes onto the carpet, leaving part light, part shadow. Like Gabriel and Sylar. Both part of someone born into the world with a magnificent gift. The shadow had been defeated by the light. But Noah knew it would always be ready to return. Maybe as long as he was there for his friend, Sylar would remain as he was now. "Alright. We'll do things the way you want." Just as he saw Sylar turn to leave, Noah stood. "As long as I can put that in the employee books. Who knows. It may help for some people out there to know we have Sylar in our ranks," he said, knowing how the name alone struck fear in the hearts of those who knew him. Noah held out his hand, which Sylar took, shaking it gently. "If you need anything, call me."

"I will," Sylar said. "For now, I have a store to run. If you're ever in town, stop by, and I'll tune your watch for free." He winked before turning to head for the door. "Thanks for everything Noah. From me and Selene." He left the office, the floor and the building, before flying back to New York. That was where his life was. With or without Selene, he would live and work there. And every time the door to his store opened, he would look up.

Finis

**A/N: that's all, kiddies. Now some of you may say, that's a sad ending. They're still not together. But to me, it's not a sad ending. It's one filled with hope for both Selene and Gabriel. And we have Sylar back, one who has accepted who he is and knows he can be what he wants to be, someone who can control his inner demons. And Selene is right, they are both immortal. Who knows, maybe in 200 years, they'll get together again, for good. And Sylar has the idea it could be as little as 50 years. *wink***

**Thank you for reading!**


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